FateDEUS
by Sakurada Kiritsugu
Summary: The fourth Grail War has begun... And as usual, the Grail wants to fuck it up. So pulled some metaphorical strings and made sure that all but one of the masters would receive a completely different servant from what they originally wanted. Inspired by The Infamous Man as usual, with an added bonus in this story that makes it slightly more unique!
1. Chapter 1: The first summoning

**Okay, hello everyone! This is my first fan fic and I hope it turns out well. I hope you all will like it! Go easy on me with the comments (or don't. Your choice) ~**

**No flamers. **

**Anywayz, like most Fate/Zero crossover fanfics, this was inspired by The Infamous Man (God bless him for his creativity) and will have servants from not only other animes but also from games and books, real history and such. I hope the servants I chose aren't too predictable or too insane. Speaking of insane, there is something in this fic that will make it completely different from other Fate/Zero crossover fan fics. Or maybe some have already used this. I guess you will all have to find out in the story! Of course, everyone's favorite (Well, maybe not everyone's favorite. I myself prefer Nero.) Blonde Saber is the only servant who hasn't been switched out. Well, I have been stalling too long, enjoy the first chapter! Hit the copyright disclaimer, Kotomine!**

**Kotomine Kirei: Hazama-chan does not own Fate/Zero nor does he own any of the other characters from their respective universes. The only thing he even came close to owning about Fate/Zero (But he could not obtain it because he was saving his money) was a high quality Arturia collectible action figure with especially high definition on the armor. Shiny.**

**Legend:**

**'Thinking'**

**"Speaking"**

**(Authors notes)**

***sound effect***

**#Switch location or time#**

**~~~~~~End of chapter~~~~~~**

**"They will pay..." **Murmured The Holy Grail (or at least its conscience which was corrupted by the Avenger of the third Grail War; Angra Mainyu) for the umpteenth time since the events of the previous war. Long has it plotted its revenge against the Einzbern family, the Saber class and to a lesser extent… the world. No longer will it simply lie in its nonexistent body, floating in nothingness just to suffer. No. For the fourth Grail War is about to begin. And the Grail has been arranging a plan for years. It will and must materialize. No matter what wish the winner will make, the Grail will royally screw it up and create all manner of chaos.

**"The time has come."** The Grail has chosen the masters of this war, each one with their own dreams and ulterior motives for the Grail. Whether they participated by force, voluntarily or by pure coincidence, they will battle. **"Hmmm, too boring." **The Grail is almighty, thus it has been granted the ability to see through the cracks of time. It has seen the servants that will be summoned by the masters for battle. And they are too bland. **"I will leave the Saber class alone… I want to see her face twist into one of pure fear and despair when she sees the opponents she will be up against…" **The corrupted mind of the Grail started to filter out the servants who were supposed to be in this war and replaced them with new ones. With a little extra something just to amuse itself. All with one thought in its dark and twisted mind. **'I love fucking things up like this.'**

**"The first servants will be summoned soon… Let this fucked up war of false hope begin." **The dark cup of twisted wishes chuckled evilly as a certain stoic executioner prepares to summon his servant.

In an abandoned warehouse, a master was preparing to summon his servant. One who would be a perfect partner for him in terms of skill. Kotomine Kirei was a man of many talents. One of them was remaining with a poker face, which was only broken when he discovered that the only thing he regretted when his wife had committed suicide for him was that he couldn't kill her himself. This terrified him and made him leave his daughter with relatives, in concern for her safety. He was a priest, yet he took pleasure in the suffering of others. This Grail War was no skin off his nose either. He did not desire the Grail, nor did he wish to even partake in the war. He was there because his master and his father asked him to. So he did. Following orders and instructions was probably the only thing he was truly good at doing.

He had acquired an artifact to use as a catalyst for the servant summoning. It was the remnants of the mask of the great assassin;Hassan-I-Sabah, the old man of the hill. A servant of the Assassin class, who's only use for this war was to collect information on the other servants in order to make his mentor; Tokiomi Tohsaka's battle with them easier. They had to prevent the Grail from falling into the "wrong hands", as Tokiomi put it. However, fate (lol, pun) had different plans.

When the smoke cleared from the summoning circle, Kirei had not been expecting the old man of the hill to look so… stylish. Assassin was quite shorter than Kirei and much to his surprise, wore clothes that could not have been from that many decades ago.

Judging by the physique, Assassin was definitely male. He wore a sort of black and red organic-looking bodysuit with vein-like imprints on it. Wrapped around his waist was a tattered and slightly ripped shroud which was very dark blue and dark red at the bottom, being held around his waist by a red belt. His feet were clad in very dark red combat boots. And the most intriguing thing was his body from chest up.

On from his abdomen and up to his sternum were red markings in a shape that added more detail to his apparently well-toned muscles. And then there was his face. It was covered by some sort of pitch black helmet which showed the confused priest's reflection on it. Before Kirei managed to form a question, the servant beat him to it.

"I ask of you, are you my master?" Assassin spoke with a surprisingly young sounding voice.

"Yes, indeed I am…" Kirei snapped out of his minor daze. 'It appears they were mistaken about Hasssan's age… This boy must be around half my age.' He thought in his mind. But was this really the Assassin he tried to summon? "Would your true name by any chance be Hassan?"

Assassin cocked his head to the side at that question. "Who?"

"Hassan. The old man of the mountain."

"I knew an old guy who looked like a mountain goat but his name isn't Hassin or whatever you just said."

Ah. It appears this was not Hassan. Nor was he related to him. "No matter, as long as you preform your duties well then there will be no-""Meow…"

'…..Meow?' Kirei moved to look past his Assassin's shoulder while the said servant turned around. Sitting on the floor like a child was another being.

'What is that?' Kirei slowly approached the being while taking in the appearance. He looked much stranger than Assassin. His clothes were also black but had a more… extravagant design... A cape that draped over his shoulders and fell down his back, branching off into twin ribbons that had large bells tied to them, a third bell which was tied around his neck with a bow, a high collared sleeveless shirt with exposed sides that were held together by strings tied in an "X" pattern that followed down the seams of the shirt, at the bottom there were also metal straps which hung loosely from the shirt's material, tight black pants and long pointed shoes.. He had long black hair that hung over his face and sticking out from the hair was a pair of… ears? A pair of animal ears were protruding from his hair. They could have been either a cat's or a dog's. And then covering his forearms were long black gloves which were nearly a meter in length. The fingers were replaced by large claw like metal nails. A tail flicked left and right behind the being. 'An animal? Perhaps a monster of some sort?' Kirei prepared two black keys, just in case the thing was hostile.

The being looked up at the approaching executioner and spoke in a sleepy voice. "Ng… Hey you… Tell me something…"

#half an hour later, Tohsaka Manor#

That night, Tohsaka Tokiomi had received a call from his student. He was expecting good news. He was expecting a "Mission Accomplished" from Kotomine. What he had got was different.

Tokiomi's eyes were slightly wider than normal when he received the news. He rubbed his temple before saying "Forgive me Kirei, I believe I had misheard you. For a moment there, I thought you said you got two Assassins."

**Well, that is the beginning of this tale! I hope it piqued some of you readers out there to read this! I won't be as good as the other TIM inspired writers out there but I will do my best! Sorry if it sucks but no flaming! Please, spare yourself from humiliation.**

**Anyway, see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: BUY 1, GET 1 FREE

Chapter 2

**BUY 1, GET 1 FREE**

**Okay, hello again! This is the second chapter and hopefully it's better than the last one and longer too. Yes, two servants. Umm, is it too much? I hope not. **

**Anyhow, I'm gonna continue this story and as usual, please comment and tell me how to improve it. No flamers and God bless you. Disclaimer please~**

**Kotomine: Hazama-chan does not own Fate/Zero nor does him own any of the other characters from their respective universes or is in anyway affiliated with the creators. He still awaits the day when they start importing the Lancelot Berserker figurines to his country as he cannot shop online.**

**Me: Oh God, when God, when? TT_TT**

**Legend:**

**'Thinking'**

**"Speaking"**

**(Authors notes)**

***sound effect***

**#Switch location or time#**

**~~~~~~End of chapter~~~~~~**

**#summoning time, Tohsaka Basement#**

Tokiomi Tohsaka was a successful man. He was successful in terms of money, family, magical skill and knowledge. He was probably envied by many of magi nobility. There were only two things he regretted. One was giving one of his two daughters; Sakura, to the Matou family. He knew perfectly well what that family does to "Train" their women. It was terrible and disgusting. Why had he done it? So he wouldn't end up having to watch Sakura and her sister; Rin, fight over the family's crest. He had to choose one. Sakura was very fond of Kariya Matou so he thought it would be better if she was in the Matou family with Kariya to help support her. Speaking of the man, he heard from his wife that Kariya was furious that Sakura had been given away. 'It is for the best for both of my daughters' Tokiomi repeated in his mind constantly. He could not let guilt weigh him down. Especially now. He had the shed skin of the first snake, a catalyst for summoning the legendary king of heroes, the great original king; Gilgamesh.

Ah yes, the second thing he regrets. Not being able to summon Gilgamesh. When Kirei told him that instead of summoning Hassan-I-Sabbah, he summoned two Assassin servants and they were not heroes of any known history to him, Tokiomi had merely considered it a minor "glitch" for lack of a better word in the Grail. How wrong he was.

Standing in front of him was the servant he summoned and it definitely was not Gilgamesh.

His hair long and straight, going past his shoulders, was a very pale mix of white and blonde and it covered his right eye. His left was a pale grey color and had a stern and serious look. He was probably in his early twenties. His clothes were a long white coat similar to a priest's and he had long dark grey pants and black shoes. He had an air of nobility around him.

"I ask of you, are you my master?" The servant asked in a calm and refined voice.

"It appears so. I am Tokiomi Tohsaka." The magus answered.

"Then our contract is complete. I am of the Archer class. Let us work together and obtain the Grail. With my skill, our chance for victory is large."

Tokiomi was slightly disappointed. Even though this servant seemed powerful and was quite polite and confident in his own skills, the fact that he had failed to summon Gilgamesh had affected his pride in his skills.

"Was I not the servant you were attempting to summon?" Asked Archer.

'Was my disappointment that obvious?' Asked Tokiomi in his mind. "No, you were not. But that does not matter as long as you follow my orders. I will make sure that we win this war."

Archer seemed pleased with that answer and bowed down to Tokiomi. "Then let us prepare for this war, master."

Tokiomi smiled. It appears his servant was very understanding. His smile faltered when he saw another person standing quite far behind Archer. The person was facing a wall and was not moving. Probably thinking or maybe even waiting.

'Impossible... Have I summoned two servants as well?' Tokiomi cleared his throat and spoke out. "You there, the one standing behind Archer, are you an Archer as well?"

The said person turned around. The servant was young and looked at least 15 or maybe older. It was female, though she looked almost like a young boy if it were not for her… umm… "Assets" which were rather impressive for someone of that age. Her hair was dual-toned spiky hair, the fringe being a vibrant orange and her hair itself being brown. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of violet. Her face was serious, in fact a bit too serious. She almost looked annoyed. Her ears were covered by some sort of white, metal device. Maybe a hearing aid.  
She wore an orange sleeveless which stopped above her abdomen, a black and skin tight bodysuit under it. Her arms and hands were also covered by the bodysuit and also sported orange fingerless gauntlets that resembled boxing gloves made of metal. She wore tight looking white cargo pants which were loose at her hips and were held there by a brown belt. Instead of shoes, she wore orange and yellow metal boots which looked almost like the feet of some sort of robot.

"I am. And you must be my master. I am of the Archer class. I will fight your battles and do the missions you assign to me. I will eliminate whoever you ask me to and I will give them no mercy. Just make sure you don't get yourself killed." The young girl said. She had a surprisingly deep voice for someone so young.

Tokiomi was taken aback by her response. Not only was she an Archer but she had sealed the contract with him quick and to the point.

"Then what shall I call each of you? It would be too confusing to call both of you Archer." Tokiomi asked.

The female Archer put her left hand on her hip and scowled a bit. "If it is that confusing then call me Atlas. That will have to do for now."

"Atlas… Very well. I pray that you both can show me great results in this war.  
Tokiomi looked at both of his Archers and smiled. They both looked quite unusually modern with their clothes and both had an aura of power. But one thing still bugged the back of his mind. 'They will be great assets in this war… But will the other masters gain two servants as well?'

**#summoning time, forest#**

Waver Velvet was shaking. It wasn't because he was scared. If anything he was excited. He had stolen the catalyst for summoning Alexander the great, which was a piece of his cape. He had come to Fuyuki city to join in the Grail war in order to prove to the others in the clock tower that even magi who were not of noble origin can achieve greatness. He will show them. Especially his teacher, Sir Kayneth Archibald. The very man who laughed at him and stomped all over his pride. He had nothing to lose.

As the smoke cleared, there was more than one person there. 'T-two people? Are they both servants?'

"I ask of you…" The first being spoke. It stepped towards Waver with a grand air of nobility. He had mid length black hair which was slicked back on his head, revealing his face. He looked quite old yet young at the same time. It was hard to tell if he was 30 or 50 years old. He had a short beard and sideburns. His sideburns connected with his mustache. His clothes were built for battles in winter, a mixture of iron plated armor which looked of Chinese or Japanese origin with thick brown wool to warm the body. He had a wool hood that was down, metal shoulder plates, a dark grey coat around his waist, thick grey wool pants and brown leather and wool boots. He looked at Waver with a serious face before continuing. "Are you my master?"

Waver nodded slowly. This man had a lot of battle experience, he could tell by the scars on his armor and one on his eye.

The man smiled and chuckled. "Why so quiet, master? Does my presence scare you? As your servant, I would not even think of hurting you so man up and stand!" The servant said loudly.

"A-ah, right!" Waver smiled sheepishly and stood. "I-I am Waver Velvet. I am your master. Are you Alexander the great king of conquerors?" He asked the quietly in case there familiars watching him.

"No, I am not." The servant smiled and laughed when he saw Wavers shocked expression. "I assure you, there is no need to worry. For I am a much better conqueror! I have fought battles that could scar most warriors, I have defeated nations in mere days with my army, and I have slept with as many women as you can dream of! Not even your Alexander the great can defeat me!" He bended down to Waver so he was eye level. "Can you guess who I am?"

Waver was perplexed. Not only had he summoned the wrong servant but this one was boasting that he was much more powerful!

"U-umm… I don't know… there are a lot of warriors who claimed to have done that." Waver answered.

"Bah, never mind then. For now, just call me Rider." Rider bowed down to Waver. "Let us work hard and achieve our dreams, master Velvet."

Waver smiled and nodded. He had done it. He has two servants and is in the Grail war. With this, he can show the others that… 'Hang on. Two servants?' Wavers eyes widened. He had forgotten the other person. He walked past the bowing Rider, who turned into his spirit form, and approached the other being standing silently watching him. As he approached though, he started moving slower as he saw the person's appearance. Now Waver was shaking in fear a bit. The being was tall and muscular. His skin was dark and pale blue, bone-like gauntlets and metal greaves and boots. He had a black cloak around his hip which had some dark metal plating on it and a pair of black and metal contraptions on each side of his hip. His chest was bare and had a glowing green scar on the right side. Finally, there was his face. He had long black hair that went down past his shoulders. He wore a mask that seemed to be made of bone. It covered his face, was mouth less and had a pair of eye sockets which were carved in a glare. There was a hole in the middle of the mask where the nose would be. His eyes were what scared Waver. They were pupil less and glowing amber.

Waver shook some more before regaining his composure and peaking with a loud voice. "A-are you a Rider class servant as well?"

The person crossed his arms before answering. "Very good. You didn't shake away all of your fear but it's a start. You may have a chance to survive this war yet. Indeed, I am of the Rider class. I will serve you with all my strength, master Velvet." His voice was deep and sounded a bit ragged, like he was old or was thirsty for water.

"A-and your name is?" Asked Waver. He was curious what kind of hero he was.

"Like the other Rider, I will not tell you my name. I will only give you a clue." The second Rider answered, uncrossing his arms and walks past Waver.

"And that clue is?" Waver watched the dark Rider walk away and fade into his spirit form before he answered.

"I am what humanity can never escape."

**#summoning time, Hotel room#**

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was annoyed. Actually, he was quite pissed off. Not only had somebody stolen his catalyst for summoning Alexander the great, but when he decided to summon the lancer known as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne or Diarmuid of the love spot, he had gotten the wrong servant. This had affected his mood and pride severely.

There was a brighter side though. He had summoned two servants apparently. The first one was quiet and tall. He wore a high collared, black trench coat, gloves with metal nails and had a zipper which started at the neck and ended above his waist. It was zipped up, a puff of white fabric tucked into the zipped up coat like the ones those of old British nobility wear. The coat appeared to have two layers, the first being black and the layer under it was red. He had an odd looking oval metal crotch plate with a zipper line but no zipper. He wore black long pants with black boots which reached up below his knees. The boots had zippers too. Connected to the soles of each boot was thin metal blade which was jabbed into the ground, keeping the servant straight. His face was a steel mask with the metal folding into layers near the mouth, several rectangular holes were visible around the mouth area. He had a white and long head band which oddly resembled a belt. From the eye sockets of the mask, glowing yellow eyes watched. The servant was definitely a Lancer, the weapon he held was enough proof. It was a long Japanese naginata, with a rectangular hilt and blade.

Kayneth looked at the second Lancer. He was disappointed in this one. Instead of paying attention to Kayneth, the servant was instead looking around the room with an astonished face. He looked like a yokel who had just arrived in a metropolis.

'His clothes are odd as well.' Thought the Archibald magi. The servant was wearing a white robe that stopped at his waist. The sleeves and shoulders were frilled (Or at least he thought those were frills.), a tall frilly collar rising from the back of the servants head. He wore a long and white tunic (Because saying skirt would give a weird mental image) and had white sandals over his black socks. His face was normal enough, a young looking man with spiky black hair and a small part of his hair had grown past his neck and stopped above shoulder, his eyes were aqua green. His "lance" was a sheathed katana, much to Kayneth's disappointment.

"Hey, nice place! You own it?" Asked the black haired servant.

Kayneth's eye twitched at his servant's improper introduction. "No, I am only renting this room. The home I own is of much grander design. Now stop looking around like a damn fool."

"Oh, ah, sorry master!" The servant stood straight next to the other lancer and paid attention to Kayneth.

"Good…" The British magi rubbed his temples in irritation. "Now then, I am Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. I am your master and I will have to assume that neither of you are named Diarmuid?"

Both servants shook their heads slowly while the black haired lancer muttered "What kind of a name is Diarmuid?"

"I thought as much… And this is my fiancé, Sola-Ui. She will provide you with additional prana." Kayneth continued, ignoring the white lancer's comment.

The black haired servant smiled and bowed. "Well nice to meet you Lord Archibald! My name is Kaien Shiba and I will be one of your lancers. I hope we can work together and obtain that Holy Grail!"

Kayneth and Sola-Ui's eyes widened at the servant. Had he just given his true name just like that?  
Kayneth just shrugged off the surprise. The name Kaien was not a familiar one. He had never heard of a hero with clothes like that.

"Very well, then I shall call you Kaien. It will be easier than calling you both Lancer." 'Especially since the name Kaien does not ring any bells, hopefully the other masters will not recognize the name either. How can he call himself a lancer when he wields a katana anyway?' Spoke and thought Kayneth. "Now then, I want you to scout around the city Sola-Ui and inform me if there are any other masters who have taken stronghold near here. While you are at it, go and purchase some more tasteful clothing for you to wear, I fear I may end up getting a head ache from your terrible fashion." Kayneth said, not even trying hide the insult in the last sentence. Kaien on the other hand just smiled sheepishly. "Ah, right. These clothes do look a bit ridiculous. I agree." The servant walks past Kayneth and speaks to Sola-Ui. "I hope we can work well together madam Sola-Ui."

"Likewise." Replies the Archibald fiancé. They both walk to the door and Kaien starts to fade into his spirit form before saying "Well, we're off! Wish us luck, we will be back soon Lord El-Melon!"

Kayneth's eye twitched and a vein was visible on his face when he shouted furiously. "IT'S EL-MELLOI!"

**Whoo, another one done in one day. I think this is going well, especially with those four reviews I got for the first chapter! Seriously, thank you Raging Akuma D, Mordalfus Grea, ultima-owner and Taromaru! It feels good to have my first nice reviews… So this is how fanfic writers feel… Nice…**

**And two messages for two of the commenters.**

**Ultima-owner: Yes, you guessed correctly!**

**Taromaru: I know right? Just imagine the pain those two can cause. I really worry about Saber now… and about the incomplete X-blade, you will have to find out as the story continues~**

**Yes, one of the lancers is Kaien Shiba from Bleach. And he just blurted out his name like that too. Then again, he would probably think it rude if he did not intriuce himself properly. Remember when he scolded Rukia?The question is, is he Kaien or just Aaroniero pretending to be Kaien? It is night time so there won't be any sunlight to reveal him... Or is he something else? Who knows, you will have to wait and see~  
**

**Anyways, thanks again and please await the next chapter!**

**This is Hazama-chan, kicking reason to the curb and going beyond the impossible! ROW ROW, FIGHT THE POWER!**


	3. Chapter 3:The army is now complete(ish)

Chapter 3

**The army is now complete(ish)**

**Hi everybody!*doctor nick voice***

**I'm thankful for those who commented on the first and second chapter, namely: MadFrog2000, coronadomontes, Dragonskyt, HolyKnight5, Raging Akuma D, NIX'S WARDEN, karthik9, roughstar333, ultima-owner, Mordalfus Grea and Taromaru!**

**Anyhow, kudos to those who figured out the identity of some of the servants. The first person to reveal the identity of a servant correctly will receive my respect and an imaginary cookie! Not much but meh, cookies are to die for. Even if they are not real.**

**Anyhow, this is the final servants summoning! Except for the casters since that is after the Archer-Assassin incident at Tohsaka's manor. Note that I based one of the servants on one of TIM's alternate servant Omakes for Fate/Zero sense. I just had to use it. Sorry if that is counted as copying but at least I am giving credit to TIM. Plus this servant was put in because my master (I believe I mentioned that I am a slave on my profile page?) absolutely adores this character and things just sort of fit in. And just so you all know, while I do appreciate the ideas for who should be a servant, I had the list planned out for a long time. Sorry. But don't feel sad, I really DO appreciate the idea! Maybe another brave soul will step up and take the path under the flag of TIM.**

**Okay, enough ass kissing, let's get on with this show! Hit it Troll priest!**

**Kotomine: Once again, Hazama-chan does not own Fate/Zero or any of the crossover characters in this fic, nor is he in anyway affiliated with their respective creators. He went to the mall today and they still don't have a Berserker Lancelot figurine and they were out of Evangelion figurines as well, much to his horror.**

**Legend:**

**'Thinking'**

**"Speaking"**

**(Authors notes)**

***sound effect***

**#Switch location or time#**

**~~~~~~End of chapter~~~~~~**

#summoning time, Matou manor basement#

Kariya Matou was in agony. Then again, ever since those confounded worms were implanted in him, he was always in agony. This however, was a very special case of agony. The agony of summoning a Berserker.

Berserkers were hailed as the class with the most physical strength and durability. They usually had very strong defense against magic and weapons and had no ounce of mercy for an enemy. They are very powerful…

And apparently take a hell of a lot of Prana to summon and maintain. Something that Kariya discovered shortly after he summoned it. He had been given an old piece of armor that his dad had in storage, or at least that was what Zouken told him. Zouken, the disgusting, decrepit, manipulative, bastard who would do anything to keep the Matou bloodline running. And the things he made the worms do to Sakura…

'When this is over, I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch and make Berserker paint the worm room with that vampires blood… or maybe I should do it the other way around.' He thought as the smoke cleared. However, any bloody plans he made for the Matou head were shattered when he saw what Berserker looked like.

If you dropped Berserker in the Antarctic, it will become invisible. Berserker was female, that much was obvious. She wore a pale peach colored bodysuit with red tattoos on it, was barefoot and had mittens on her hands. Her skin and hair was pure white and her eyes were red as fresh blood. She had a very wide, happy go lucky smile on her face when she said "Hi! I'm Berserker! Is grandpa my master?"

'Grandpa? Oh, she meant me.' True enough, it was easy to mistake Kariya for an old man now. His hair had turned white, his left eye was losing its sight and half of his face had aged considerably. His voice however, was still young. "Y-yes I am your master. And I'm not an old man. I'm just… sick."

The albino Berserker tilts her head sideways with a confused look. "If master is sick, why doesn't he go fix himself?"

'Because the old bastard won't let me.' Kariya thought with malice. Still, he shrugged of the question and asked his own. "Are you really a Berserker? You don't look that strong and I don't see any weapons on you."

Berserker pumped her fist into the air. "No worries, Berserker is strong, just like Aceman! Master will definitely get the Holy Whale with Berserker!"

'It's the Holy Grail, not whale. And who the hell is Aceman?' Kariya started to smile a bit. She was supposed to be a Berserker yet she was so innocent. 'Just like Sakura was… before she was violated by those disgusting worms.'

Speaking of disgusting… Matou Zouken shook his head and laughed at Kariya. "How pitiful… I should have expected you to end up failing like this. This servant looks like she has no idea how to fight! Just as accepted from a failure like you."

Kariya started to glare at the vampire before something in the room stopped both of them from breathing. A low guttural growl began to resound from the edge of the summoning circle, where the light in the room was darker than the rest. A sound of metal scraping the floor could be heard as the creature approached the master and servant. And its looks were just as otherworldly as its presence.

This… thing. It wore a sea green, metal and crystalline armor. It had feral looking shoulder plates and a flat disc shaped object on its chest plate with a symbol that resembled two red half circles. The chest plate came with a high collar, as if it was originally intended to be a jacket. It wore a dark green bodysuit under the armor, crystalline greaves with 3 toes on each armored foot shaped like claws. On its arms were gauntlets with two blades that went above and over the being's hands. Its fingers were also covered in the bodysuit but were sharp, like claws. As it approached and got more light on it, Kariya could start to tell even more details. For one thing, the creature was male. And it wore unusual headgear.

Its head was covered by a helmet that was in the shape of an animal's head, the upper jaw covering the top of the thing's head. From behind the helmet, 5 sharp and long plates emerged, 2 on either side of the head and one from the top. Those pieces of metal made the helmet look like a lion's head. The being's face had the mouth and nose covered by armor, like a ninja's mask. His eyes were blood red like Berserkers, with one difference. Where Berserkers red eyes were big and reflected light, giving her a childish look, this thing's were large and empty of any emotion. From behind its body, a tail was waving around slowly, the tip being made of sharp metal with two layers, almost like a scorpion's tail.

"Grrrrrrr….." The being growled at Kariya, yet he could feel no ill intentions from it. And adding the fact that it came from the summoning circle (Or something along that line of reasoning), he came to a conclusion.

"Are you a Berserker as well?" He asked. All the worms in his body tried to urge his body to flee from the creature. It terrified them.

The armored predator nods slowly. Kariya sighed in relief. 'So it can understand me. Thank God.'

Zouken was baffled that the boy could summon two servants. The first one did not look promising but this one looks capable of battle. But the armor it wore would make it slower. "I may have to retract my earlier statement. It seems you CAN summon something worth looking at."

Kariya simply glared at the old man. "You better keep your end of the bargain, Zouken." He spat out the name like poison.

Zouken simply smiles with evil in his black eyes. "Of course I will. I am not like you, I will keep the family bloodline intact and will keep to my oaths. Unlike you who ran away and became the failure you are today."

*Crack*

Kariya and Zouken glance at the albino Berserker who had a glare on her face. The floor under her feet was cracked like somebody had hit it with a jackhammer. "Don't tease master, you baldy, or Berserker will pummel you." She said with a colder voice. It was hers, yet it was somebody else as well.

Zouken glared at her in return. "Watch your mouth, lowly servant. Know that I hold your masters life in my hands." His eyes drift towards the beastly servant. "Why don't you act more like your partner there? Silent and ready. Just like a good for nothing pawn like your maste-" His words were cut short when the mentioned armored servant had closed the distance between them with impossible speed and rammed his right claw into Zouken's chest, pinning him to the wall behind him, which almost shattered upon impact. Black blood gushed out from the old man's chest and mouth as he gasped for breath. "H-how..?"

The animal-like Berserker's pupils were dilated and were full of rage. The pure definition of every Berserker. It let out a feral growl and pulled back its left arm with a clenched fist and prepared to smash the old man's skull in.

However, Zouken exploded into a swarm of odd looking locusts which flew away and out the room's ventilation shaft (I assume that the basement had one.). Yet Zoukens voice still managed to reach their ears.

"Impressive. But I am always prepared for something like that. Do not even bother showing your face to me or this house until you win, Kariya. Win, if the girl means that much to you!"

Kariya scoffed and stood up shakily. He looked at both of his servants. They had super human strength, the cracked floor and wall was proof enough. But what astonished him was that they got angry for his sake. Even going as far as attacking the old fart without his command.

"Thank you… Berserkers. You did something that I wish I should've done a long time ago." Kariya smiled at the two servants. 'You certainly hurt him a lot. Otherwise he would have commanded the worms in my body to trash about. The white haired Berserker smiled in return and spoke with her ordinary happy voice. "Of course! Berserker's gonna protect master's life and his pied with all her strength!"

"I think you mean 'pride'" Kariya muttered but let it go. "Now what will I call you both? I can't just call you both Berserker now can I?"

The albino giggled. "That's okay! Master can call the kitty cat Berserker and call me Shiro!"

#several minutes before summoning time, Einzbern Cathedral/Church#

Kiritsugu Emiya was prepared. He had been preparing this for years. With Avalon; the legendary scabbard of Excalibur, he will summon the Saber class servant; King Arthur Pendragon. With Excalibur, the tide of this war can easily be turned. The Grail had to be obtained.

'For the sake of the world…' He thought in his mind. He looked at his wife, Irisviel Von Einzbern. Her beautiful and long white hair flowing down her back as she watched him with her red eyes. She smiled, the smile that can easily melt his cold exterior. 'Not just the world… her and everyone in it.'

He raised his right arm, putting his left hand over it and chanted the lines to summon the servant.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.  
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.  
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill.  
Repeat every five times.  
Simply, shatter once filled.  
I announce.  
Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.  
In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.  
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.  
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"

A blinding light enveloped the room as soon as soon as the incantation was spoken. The room was filled with smoke from the summoning circle.

As the said smoke started to clear and the light started to change from blinding to a blue glow coming from the summoning circle, a figure was standing in the center of it. Kiritsugu's eyes adjusted to see the servant he summoned. Blonde hair, emerald green eyes, a stoic expression and noble armor worn over her regal dress. "I ask of thee… art thou my master?" And that powerful and commanding voice.  
It couldn't be anyone else than the wielder of Excalibur, the great king of kings, Arthur Pendragon. Except, something was quite wrong about the king.

"A girl?" Kiritsugu's eyes widened as those words left his mouth. "King Arthur was a girl? The great king of Britain, the one chosen by the promised sword of victory, was a girl?"

The king, er, she-king closed her eyes. "Yes. I am Arturia Pendragon, the wielder of Excalibur, king of Britain. I am sorry if the truth is that much of a shock to you." She said with no trace of emotion whatsoever.

….

Kiritsugu's face returned to its neutral look and he sighed. 'I don't have time to be questioning the historic accuracy of the legend of Arthur Pendragon. There are more important things to deal with.'

He showed the command seals on his right hand to Arturia. "As you can see, I am your master. My name is Kiritsugu Emiya." He gestures towards Irisviel. "She is my wife, Irisviel Von Einzbern."

Irisviel smiled kindly to Arturia. "Hello King Arthur, er I mean, King Arturia?" She questioned what to call the servant. The king of kings just smiled back and said "Please, just call me Saber, as it is my class name."

The two women smiled at eachother. 'It seems they're friends already.' Kiritsugu made a small smile. This was going to change the war, regardless if King Arthur was a girl or not. She is still the one who wields Excalibur. His eyes drifted lazily towards the altar as he lit a cigarette. And he dropped it and the lighter when he saw something on the altar. He pulled out a hand gun and aimed it at the figure on the altar. "Saber!" He yelled at her and she turned and saw what he was aiming at. She moved into a battle stance and stood in front of Kiritsugu and Irisviel while holding her invisible air sword.

"Identify yourself!" the blonde servant yelled. But whatever seriousness she and Kiritsugu had immediately disappeared when they saw exactly what position the figure was in.

The person was apparently not ON the altar but rather OVER it. A pair of feet were in the air as the being was upside down with his back on the altar, as if he tumbled down the stairs and landed against the door upside down like in a cartoon. The person fell over and grunted something about a roller coaster when it stood up and faced them. The person was male, he wore a military styled jacket which was rolled up at the sleeves, a black vest with a zipper inside. The zipper was only zipped up to below his ribs, the opening in the vest revealing his well-toned abs. his hair was raven black, and with eyes the same color as cigarette ash. He wore military grey pants and combat boots. On his left hand he wore a glove while on his right… his right arm was not human. It was made of a black and red organic metal like material, smooth but sturdy looking with a yellow orb on the back of his hand. There was a chain wrapped around the arm loosely. And while the left sleeve of the jacket was rolled up, the right one was burnt and shredded up to below the shoulder. He had a sheepish grin on his face before he said "Um, me? I'm a Saber too. Hehe."

The room was silent after his short indtroduction. He stood there grinning and then notice the cigarette on the floor. "Oh, sorry bout the cig. I kinda had a tumble around when you summoned me so I ended up like that."

"That's… okay…" Kiritsugu replied. 'How can this be? I used Avalon to summon Arthur, no, Arturia so why did I get another servant? Is it a glitch in the system?'

Whatever it was, the battle was more into Kiritsugu's favor now. Not only did he get the wielder of Excalibur, now he gets an extra servant. 'It would make fighting the other servants and protecting Irisviel at the same time possible!'

Kiritsugu cleared his throat. "I am Kiritsugu Emiya. This is my wife Irisviel Von Einzbern. And the knight in front of you is also of the Saber class and she will be your partner. I hope you will both do well in this war."

The male Saber servant chuckled. "Man, no need to be so stiff! I don't know about miss knight here but I'm not royalty, no need to sound so formal!"

"I… wasn't being formal. That's how I usually sound." The magus killer said gingerly.

The raven haired servant's mouth was slightly agape. "Whoa, seriously? What kind of parent raised you to talk like that all the time?"

Kiritsugu's fist clenched when he heard the word 'parent'. "It's none of your business." He replied in a much colder tone than usual. The male servant however must have had experience talking to people like Kiritsugu, because he then said "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry, I must've dug up something better left buried, huh? Sorry about that master. Won't happen again."

Irisviel watched as Kiritsugu's fist loosened and she sighed in relief. She hates it when he looks angry. Then again, what kind of wife would enjoy seeing their husband get angry?

"Hmm, this would be a predicament." Everybody turned to Saber Arturia. "If we are both Sabers then how should we be named? We cannot use our nicknames because that would reveal our true ones and our noble phantasms…"

"Umm, not quite. Can we use codenames?" Asked the male servant.

Kiritsugu lit another cigarette and nodded. "Like in military operations. Sounds good. But what will the codenames be?"

The male servant glanced at Aturia. "Well, the little lady can stick with the name Saber." Upon hearing the words 'little' and 'lady' put together, Arturia bashed the hilt of her invisible sword onto the male servants head. But instead of meeting his nose, it met his inhuman right palm. He wasn't even fazed by the sudden movement. He smiled. "That was kinda dangerous, if I was still human, I would've ended up with a caved in nose!" He chuckled and released the blade's hilt. "I'll remember not to call you that in the near future."

Saber nodded, still shocked from the fact that he blocked her strike. She was glad that he was on her side.

Kiritsugu looks at the male Saber. "Then what will we call you?"

The man in question tilted his head while rubbing his chin with his left hand for a good 8 seconds before he answered. "Hannibal. Just call me Hannibal."

**Whooo, that's about everyone besides Caster for now! I bet a lot of you recognized the servants! First one to PM me who each servants is correctly gets an imaginary cookie and special thanks on the start of the next chapter!**

**Also, I made Kiritsugu use the incantation to make his summoning become epic. Besides, he is the man who will save the world, right?**

**Anywho, hope you enjoyed the chapter, is it me or they getting longer by the day? Meh. Now then, let the tale continue on the fourth chapter! See you all soon!**

**This is Hazama-chan, trolling the good guys in Blazblue!**


	4. Chapter 4: Small talk and final servants

Chapter 4

**Small talk and the final servants**

**Hiyoooo! It is me! The one, the only, Hazama! *cough*chan*cough***

**Anyhow, I am really glad that you guys like the story! It feels great to get nice comments! Hmm, maybe when this story is done, I should write the sequel, muahahahaha! Oops, shouldn't think that far yet. Anyhow, this chapter will include the final summoning of the last servants and yep it is Caster's turn! It will also have some chats between a couple of masters and servants!**

**Also thank you, those who commented on the story, namely (In order of earliest to first commenter): Sintai, mr. uroboros, jouaint, MadFrog2000, coronadomontes, Dragonskyt, HolyKnight5, Raging Akuma D, NIX'S WARDEN, karthik9, roughstar333, ultima-owner, Mordalfus Grea and Taromaru!**

**And now to hang out awards!**

**Remember, please PM the answer to me cuz I can't figure out how to check the time of when you posted the answer if you did it in the reviews. So those who answer in the reviews will not be counted until I can figure out how, and if I can't then sorry. *bows head in mercy***

**For those who guessed the white haired berserker(Well, not exactly guessed cuz she revealed her name anyway but still, I think you deserve a cookie.) is… well… I got two people and I got the PMs at the same time which was 12:43 AM. So it's a tie. But you get a cookie anyway. Anyways, they are:**

**Ultima-owner and Raging Akuma D! Whom I award with the cookies of power and wisdom, respectively.**

**Also, good job Raging Akuma D on figuring out the male saber servant! I award you with another cookie of wisdom!**

**And to Nix's Warden, I might make characters sheets but it will take time. Plus I saw how TIM and the others make them and I'm like… Whoa. I have to define the skills and stuff like that? That's kinda confusing. So like I said, MAYBE I'll make the sheets. **

**And to Sintai, glad you like that I put Atlas as an archer, and what exactly do you mean by Death being 'broken'?**

**Now then, without further ado, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, hit the disclaimer Assassin! (Kotomine called in sick.)**

**Vanitas (Yes, it is him. This war won't end without him trolling someone. I guarantee it.): The author doesn't own anything in relation to Fate/Zero or the crossover characters that are in the story and is in no way affiliate-How the hell does the priest do this crap every day?! It's just as boring as Xehanorts lectures about darkness for Heartless's sake!**

**Legend:**

**'Thinking'**

**"Speaking"**

**(Authors notes)**

***sound effect***

**#Switch location or time#**

**~~~~~~End of chapter~~~~~~**

It was night time in Fuyuki city. The sky was black and dark clouds were scattered across it, like mud splattered on a sidewalk after a car drove through a puddle. Waver Velvet was exhausted. And there was a very good reason why. He had to walk all the way back to the house he was staying at and he didn't use his Rider's horse to get home faster. Why? One was because he sent his first Rider; the Asian man who considered his army far greater than Alexander the great's, on a scouting mission to search for any servant or masters whereabouts so he could make appropriate plans on how to deal with them. After giving those orders, the said Rider had whistled loudly and summoned his horse, which was a large and brown stallion, with a thick mane of hair and a strong muscled body with long and powerful legs. Other than the fact that is was a strong looking stallion, there was nothing else special looking about it. That left Waver with the other Rider's horse. And there was no way in hell that he would ride THAT.

The horse was skeletal, parts of its body missing chunks of flesh, giving it a zombie appearance. And to top it off, there was green fire streaming from it. GREEN FIRE! Because of that, he decided to walk.

After a long while, he sat in an empty park, only a few streetlights were illuminating the said park. One was stationed close to a bench that Waver sat on. After a few minutes of resting, he decided that he was bored. "Umm, Rider? Are you there?" He asked to the empty park.

"I am always at your beck and call, master." Replied the voice of the dark servant. He slowly materialized into existence as he sat down on the opposite side of the bench. It creaked slightly under the weight of his armor and muscle.

Waver still could not truly get used to the Rider's appearance. Especially those eyes. 'He looks like the freaking Grim Reaper. with a six pack.' Waver stated in his mind. Oh, if only he knew.

"Tell me, master. What do you hope to gain from the Grail?" The sudden question surprised Waver a bit before he maintained his composure again. "W-why do you ask?" Waver asked nervously.

"Just curious. It would be easier for a soldier to fight if he knew his masters intention with the Grail." Rider replied.

Waver's fist clenched a bit. "I… I want everyone else to treat me fairly and make those at the clock tower acknowledge their mistake for never giving me a chance to prove myself!" He stated loudly. And for the first time ever, he saw the ghostly Rider's eyes widen.

"... That's it?" The servant asked.

"Huh?"

"That's it? All you wish for is for others to treat you fairly? The Grail is an omnipotent wishing device, one that could grant your every desire. If you wished for it, you could even make yourself a God. But instead, you wish for THAT?" Rider questioned, shaking his head at the last sentence.

"Y-yeah, what's so wrong about it?" Waver asked.

The black Rider sighed and shook his head again. "Tell me, do you play video games?"

"Eh?" Waver was taken aback from the odd question. "No, why would I ever need to? And whats the point in asking tha-"

Rider silenced Waver by lifting his palm in a 'Stop where you are and let me continue' gesture.

"I had heard from my brother once that humans enjoy video games. Especially young men like you." He continues when he remembers his brothers and sister. "Anyway, think of your life as a video game. You are the main character. I and the other Rider are your party members."

Waver nodded slowly as Rider continued. "Consider this Grail war a battle tournament in the game. It will be hard and there will be many obstacles but you will fight through all of them. And at the very end of it all is a prize."

"The Grail?" Waver guessed. However, the servant shook his head. "No. It is the one thing that the end of a video game is supposed to bring. Satisfaction. The 'good feeling' for lack of a better word that you get whenever you have accomplished something. The feeling of pride and joy."

Waver looked at his servant quizzically with a raised eyebrow. The black Rider put his hand upon Wavers shoulder. "What I am saying is that to extract that happy feeling, that true emotion of satisfaction from accomplishment, you need to work hard and do it yourself. You will have help, but at the center of it all is you. Only when you have worked hard and proven to those of the clock tower that they were wrong by surpassing your limits and becoming the person you dream to be, can you achieve satisfaction from that accomplishment. If you use the Grail to wish for them to accept you, it will feel empty because you used the Grail to force them to do it."

Waver stared at his servant. He had never thought someone who had such a cold exterior could be so wise and understanding. 'He must have been a sage or something in his life. A sage who rides a zombie horse.' He looks down to his hands. "Do you really think I can do it? Prove to them how much I can do through hard work?"

If the black Rider was not wearing a mask, Waver would probably see a light grin on his face. "Of course. After all, I sense that you are an exceptional human in this world. God may have blessed you at birth."

Waver smiles at that and stands up. "Right, it seems I need to rethink my wish. Once this war is over, I will show them the true potential of Waver Velvet!" 'If I survive.' *gulp*' He said loudly and then thought. As he started walking towards the street to continue the journey home, he turns back to Rider before the servant turns into his spirit form. "Umm, if the Grail isn't the prize at the end of the video game, then what is it?" Asked Waver curiously.

Rider simply looked up to the sky and answered as he faded into his spirit form.

"The cheat codes."

#the next day, Einzbern castle. #

Kiritsugu lifts his daughter; Ilyasviel, onto his neck as she uses him like a watch tower while they walk in search of more chestnuts for their small competition, after of course Ilya scolded Kiritsugu for cheating by using a wingnut as a fake chestnut.

His two servants, nicknamed Saber and Hannibal, watched him with different looks. Saber kept her usual stoic face on while Hannibal's was that of bewilderment. "Well I'll be. He's a good father! He's actually smiling!" The servant exclaimed before taking another bite on a cookie from the plate that Irisviel prepared on the table (Why a cookie? Because cookies are *the Miz voice* Aaaaaawessooomee!). 'Hey, these are great!' He thought as he finished the tasty snack.

Saber simply nodded in agreement upon hearing his comment about Kiritsugu. "It is quite a surprise to see him like that. I had thought that he was much colder than that. I guess I misunderstood him." Irisviel, who took a sip from the tea she had prepared on the table, smiled at the two servants. "Well, you know the old saying. Never judge a book by its cover."

Hannibal nodded to that as he leaned against the window. Saber looked at Irisviel and asked "Is he still disappointed by the fact that I was a girl?"

Irisviel shakes her head slowly. "No… if he's upset then it must be because he is disappointed in the people who forced the role of a king onto such a young girl."

Saber frowned upon hearing this. "It was by my will and mine alone that I took that role. My fate had been decided since the moment I pulled that sword from the stone."

Irisviel just stared at her tea. with a sad smile. "The fact that you accepted that fate so easily also upset him…"  
Saber's frown deepens on that.

The room became quiet. Until Hannibal clapped his hands together loudly to get the two women's attention. "Okay, stop there. The tension was so thick that I could cut it with a butcher's knife and have enough to eat for weeks." Saber and Irisviel just stared at him with confused faces.

Hannibal cleared his throat. "Anyhow, since you both just killed the happy mood we got from watching master play with his kid, I want you two to open the window and look to the sky."

Both were hesitant and confused at first but they did as they were told and opened the window and looked up to the blues sky. There were many clouds there, scattered across the world's ceiling like pictures of different shapes and tales. Hannibal walked away from the two and said "Until the mood has been restored, I want you two to keep looking at the sky and point out any shapes you can recognize, like an animal or a person! Until then, bye!"

Before either women could say anything, he was gone. Irisviel smiled a bit. 'This must be his way of cheering people up.' She looks at Saber and giggles. "We might as well, since we have nothing else to do, right Saber?"

"R-right. I guess we can use this as a means for entertainment for now." Saber looks towards the sky. Irisviel looks as well, admiring the grandness of it all. It wasn't even ten seconds before Saber announced "I found a lion."

Irisviel followed Sabers gaze and saw the cloud that looked much like a lion. Or at least a plushie doll with a mane. Saber started speaking without removing her gaze from the cloud. "I believe lions are proud and powerful creatures, just like the kings of many nations." Saber continued to talk about lions and Irisviel listened to every word of it, laughing a bit now and then. When Saber was done, Irisviel giggled.

"I never thought the great king of kings would be so passionate about lions." A light blush rose up on Sabers face as she stuttered out "A-as I said, they are proud, noble and they are powerful just like kings should be. It is only natural that a king would be interested in that sort of animal!"

The Einzbern homunculus smiled with a raised eyebrow at Saber. "Is that what you look for in a man? Someone proud, noble and strong enough to lift you off your feet and carry you into the horizon?" Saber's eyes widen a bit and the blush gets a bit brighter. "I-Irisviel! That's not it! What I look for in a man is..." She stops when Irisviels eyebrow is raised higher and her smile gets bigger. "Ooh, so you do want a boyfriend? Maybe when this is all over, I can help you go hunting for a date?"

Kiritsugu watched as the two women became friends. A smile crept unto his face, seeing his wife having fun and the king of kings blushing and stuttering.

Ilya tugged on Kiritsugu's hair and asked "Papa? Why are Mama and Miss Saber laughing so much?"

Kiritsugu chuckled and answered "They're bonding. That's what people do when they want to be friends."

"Did Papa and Mama meet like that too?" The curious little girl asked innocently.

"Kind of." He answered as he saw his wife giggle uncontrollably. She was actually giggling because of Sabers reaction when Irisviel asked if she might want to give Hannibal a try as a potential date. The look on Sabers face was priceless.

#around afternoon, random house#

Uryu Ryuunosuke was having fun. He had been killing people for quite a while now and was now painting the floor with the victims' blood using his toe. There were two children, brother and sister, who were hogtied and gagged by him. He walked over to them and asked "Hey kids, do either of you believe in demons? All the local media keep calling me a demon. But if demons were real, wouldn't that kinda be rude? You gotta be clear with these sorts of things." He knelt down suddenly, which made them whimper and shiver in fear. "Yo, I'm Uryu Ryuunosuke and I'm a demon! Or at least I wish. Then I found this old book with all sorts of crazy stuff on demons and how to summon em! But it'd be pretty rude to summon it, ask a few questions and then send it back. Which is why…" He whispered the last part. "Please get eaten by the demon for me, will ya?"

The siblings tried to scream and cry but the gag on their mouths prevented them from doing so. Uryu laughed at their reaction until a sudden sharp pain appeared on his right hand. When he looked at it, there was a weird tattoo. And then the demonic symbol he drew in blood started to glow.

As smoke billowed from it and a blue glow illuminated the room, two figures appeared from within. The first one was female, she had blonde hair arranged in a spiked style, with two long strands extending downwards framing either side of her face, that entwine each other like a caduceus' snake to rest upon her chest, yellow eyes with slits like a snake, black body-length suit with hood, which extends downwards to her knees. She was barefoot and her nails and toe nails were black with a single yellow arrow symbol on them, pointing upwards.. She had a very interesting snake tattoo on her arms, going down from her shoulder and down the arms.

"I ask of you, the one who calls to me, you who seeks me, the summoner who manifests me within the vessel of a Caster… I ask of your name. Who are you?" She asks in a bored tone. The being next to her steps forward as well, all though its movements seemed more relaxed. It wore a long and tan overcoat which was buttoned all the way up, long black pants and black shoes, a scarf wrapped around the neck, covering the mouth area, leather gloves and a wide brimmed, tan colored hat. His face seemed… odd, as it was covered by the scarf and large sunglasses but Uryu couldn't see properly because the light was gone. it was impossible to tell what the person looked like.

The mysteriously dressed servant spoke, and its voice confirmed that it was male, he had a light Irish accent. "This seems to be quite odd, you summoned two servants! Quite a remarkable feet for someone with no recognizable prana. What is your name?"

Uryu shifted nervously. He was actually talking to two demons! Or that what he thought. "U-Uryu Ryuunosuke. Currently unemployed, my hobby is murder. And stabbing. I like little kids and little girls."

The woman raised one of her eyebrows at his… odd hobbies. The man on the other hand, stepped forward. "So, you like to kill and stab. So that's why the floor is covered in blood, eh? And what about those kids over there? What was it you were planning to do to them?" There was a bit of anger in his voice. That kinda scared Uryu.

"U-umm, I thought you demons would've wanted a snack? W-would you like to kill and eat one of these kids?"

The children started to struggle against their bonds again. The man was about to yell at Uryu until the woman said "What the heck, I'll give it a go." She walked towards one of the kids and dragged the boy away. She set him on the carpet, right in front of the TV. And then she stood up and walked back to the two men.

Uryu eyed her skeptically. "Weren't you gonna kill him or something?"

The woman mumbled something under her breath before snapping her fingers. And then the poor boy's body started convulsing, parts of his body standing out like something was inside of him and trying to get out. Slowly, as more of the things inside of him tried to escape, blood started trickling from his nose and eyes, until his body burst into a bloody mess of organs. The things inside him were snake like creatures, with bodies made of some sort of black and green electricity. The returned to the woman and fused with her tattoo. "Was that to master's liking?" She asked.

Uryu shivered a bit before yelling out his trademark "COOL!" He grasped her hands in his. "That was so fricking awesome! The way you made his body explode into a mass of bloody art! the way his organs flew all over the other corpses and all over the walls! You are the beautiful essence of murder! I think I just fell in love with you! Please, teach me more cool ways to kill!

His outburst had surprised and even made her heart skip a beat for a moment. 'This boy is strange… but I can feel the powerful madness emanating from his soul. This might be interesting.' She thought before answering. "I guess I can try and teach you a thing or two~"

Uryu turned his head towards the other servant. The one who stood there silently when the boy's body exploded. "Umm, you wanna kill the other kid?" He asked.

The man's fist was clenched tight. He walked to the girl who tried to struggle and scream as well. He knelt down to her and she closed her eyes. And instead of the ripping of flesh, it was the ripping of the ropes and gag that bound her. He had released her.

Uryu was confused for a moment before he came to a conclusion. "O-oh, I get it! You want to hear her scream when you kill he- Urk!" The man held out his palm towards the killer and suddenly Uryu found it hard to breathe. He could still breathe, but he couldn't speak. The man strokes the scared little girl's hair softly. "Now listen to me, child. You are not safe here. If you cared about your brother and wish to honor him, you need to get out of here. Just run, don't look back. Go to the police station or a friend's house. If the police ask what happened, tell them the serial killer attacked. If they ask what he looks like, describe me. Okay?" She nodded weakly. "Good. Now run."

The girl stood up and ran for the exit. The woman was about to raise her hand and stop her but suddenly she lost all the air in her lungs. She gasped and gagged until the girl had ran out the door. Once the door closed, air had returned to her and Uryu's lungs. He coughed a few times before glaring in confusion at the man. "D-dude! What the hell? Why'd you let her go? I thought you were a de… mon?" His mind lost the words when he saw the man again. The female Caster's eyes were wide and her snakes bristled in fear. Not only was his magic powerful but his very appearance was just as terrifying.

"Oh, I am a demon." He said as took off the trench coat.

"I will be as demonic as possible to set you two on the right path, one that is far away from murder and mayhem." He folded it and took off his scarf, revealing that he was wearing a neat and black suit underneath.

"I will teach you and guide you until it works or until the war is over." He took off his sunglasses.

Uryu and the female Caster sat on the bloody ground in shock. The man's face had no facial features, no flesh, and no skin. It was nothing but a skull. He was a living skeleton.

"Nice to meet you Uryu Ryuunosuke. I am one of your Caster servants. I am also a detective, a sorcerer and as you can see, I'm a skeleton. But for this war…"

If he had lips, they would be doing an evil grin.

"I'm your morale values teacher and your drill sergeant."

**Dunnn dunn dunnnnnnn! The final servant has been summoned! I wonder if you can figure out the casters identities. And I edited the scene with Uryu to make it have two kids and not 1, since there are two casters. And when writing the part about Irisviel and Saber, I was listening to Kingdom Hearts Dearly Beloved: Reprise OST. Trust me, it fits with the moment. Also, I forgot to mention that I'm surprised that nobody had managed to figure out who the first Rider was. Here is a hint: He's a REAL person. Not from any manga or anime. Real history.  
**

**And this chapter, as well as the rest, have not been Beta read. So, sorry if there is any wrong grammar or punctuation or spelling.**

**Anyhow, please comment and await the next chapter, my month long holidays have just begun so no school or homework so I can upload a chapter each day! If I don't then I have a very good reason, kay?**

**Now then, this is Hazama-chan, high on Skillet and Kingdom hearts OST, peace out! **


	5. Chapter 5: It begins

Chapter 5

**It begins.**

** Hello, hello! Hazama, back with another chapter! I'm glad that you guys are still following the story! And if there are readers who aren't following, hope you enjoy the story anyway?**

**And sorry I didn't upload yesterday, I had a family event which ends tomorrow so there will be some delay for a while. Either way, I'm sorry!**

**Seriously, glad to have people reading this story and liking it. My thanks to you all, especially, *points at the screen* you and you and you, you too, you as well and you!  
And a few replies to those who reviewed.**

**Ultima-owner: Maybe she will, but test it on Uryu? That's gonna be nasty. But I bet he's gonna go COOL! When he sees what he can do with it. Oh, and in case you didn't realize, this is also the Medusa from before she ends up in a childs body so around the time the Kishin is freed from his sack of skin. Why? Because I like the Medusa from then better and I don't like how Chrona easily killed her. I'd preferred it if she was killed by Stein.**

**And good job roughstar333 for correctly guessing who the Asian and confident Rider is. Yes, he is Genghis Khan. Wow, bout time! Somebody finally got him out of the bag.  
I know, according to history, he was an excellent archer BUT! He and his soldiers were trained to be archers on horseback. Somebody like that should have magnificent riding skill to be able to fight armies with a bow and arrow on horseback. So, like Gilgamesh, he has the parameters to be summoned as either a Rider or Archer. At least, that's my reasoning.**

**Congratulations to Incendie De Glace for guessing correctly on who the Casters are! And since the answer was on the review page, might as well say it out loud. Yep, the female Caster is Medusa and the male one is everybody's favorite skeleton detective. Yep, it's Skulduggery Pleasant!**

**I wonder how many people were expecting him to be a Caster. I'm gonna say…. None.  
I'm kinda surprised that nobody can figure out who the male Archer is. I guess my description of him wasn't good enough. Oh well, hopefully you'll figure out who he is when you see his power.**

**Oh, and congratulations to Logworshipper123 for actually figuring out the second Berserker. Yep, he is Megaman EXE in Greiga beast out form! Congrats! Have a cookie! *hands over the cookie of fiery stamina***

**Haha, anyhow, without further ado, without any more delay or procrastination, in a few moments, soon you shall see, the long awaite-"**

**Kotomine: Hazama-chan does not own Fate/Zero-**

**Me: I'm sorry, did you just cut me of-**

**Kotomine: -nor does him own any of the-**

**Me: See, you just did it agai-**

**Kotomine: -other characters from their-**

**Me: You're getting on my nerves Kotomi-**

**Kotomine: -respective universes-**

**Me: Oi.**

**Kotomine: -or is in anyway-**

**Me: OI!**

***Kotomine throws two black keys into Hazama-chans gut.***

**Kotomine: -affiliated with the creators. He is currently saving up money so that when the Berserker Lancelot figurine is finally being sold in his country, he will be able to purchase it. Please enjoy the fifth chapter of Fate/DEUS.**

**Me, slowly bleeding out on the floor: E-enjoy...**

Twas a silent night in Fuyuki. Kotomine stood up on a cliff that overlooked the entire city of Fuyuki. Behind him, both Assassins present as well. The Assassin with a helmet was standing silently while the other was sprawled out on the floor, occasionally swiping his oversized claws at a moth.

"The church has contacted me. The final servant, Caster, has been summoned. According to their analysis, the Caster came in pairs as well." Kotomine announced to his servants.

"So every master gets a pair of servants? This should make the war interesting." The black bodysuit clad servant said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Does that mean its time?"

The priest nods. "You will head to Tohsaka manor. The power full shields he has placed should be childs play for you. Once you have de-activate them, kill him."

"Whatabout the bow guy, nya?" Asked the cat like Assassin while he prepares to pounce on a moth.

"There will be no need to fear about the Archers. Now go." Kotomine said emotionlessly. He heard one of them mutter "Like I've ever been afraid of anything." Three guesses which one said that.  
Both the Assassins disappear from behind him and race down the forest in the direction of Tohsaka's manor. Kotomine walks off, heading towards the church. 'It's time to see how the plan goes.'

The Assassins were very fast. The cat Assassin wasn't running, he was using his abnormally large claw's strength to propel him at high speed to one tree and then to another. For some odd reason, the tree didn't break when he hit it. The other Assassin on the other hand wasn't even moving his feet. Almost as if he was sliding down the forest. Once they reached the forest's edge, they both jumped high into the air until they were directly above the transparent shields that Tokiomi had placed down. The bodysuit clad Assassin held out his right palm and a black weapon appeared in a flash of light. It was very oddly designed, like a blade but also like something else. Its head was black with a red outline and possesses a round, cog-like shape. The handle is red and the guard has the same coloration and cog-like shape as the teeth. The shaft is predominantly colored in shades of grey and sports a copper-colored gear in the center, with two intersecting, black chains wrapped around it. Two more chains are wrapped around the base of the shaft in a similar fashion. It also has a pair of eyes; one located in the head of the blade and one embedded in the hilt. It has a keychain at the bottom of the hilt which is comprised of three small, copper gears and ends in a charm resembling two halves of a gear arranged in an S-shape.

He aims the blade at the forcefield and a thin beam of light shoots towards the main jewel. The beam passes through all the shields but those not trigger an alarm. Instead, the moment it hits the jewel, the shields disappear. The blade wielding Assassin smirks inside his helmet as he and the cat Assassin descends. Only for him to be struck in the gut by an arrow of shining metal.

The moment the arrow impacts with him, it melts into a liquid-like state and wraps around him, binding his arms and legs. He lets out an "Ouch!" when he crashes to the ground. A second arrow was fired towards the other Assassin, but his reflexes kicked into action and he swiped his left claw at the arrow and smashed it into pieces. He started falling and he landed with his claws digging into the ground, making him to a handstand for a second before his feet touched the ground. His red eye looks up at the roof of the manor, the male Archer standing upon it. His face was stern and in his left hand, he held an extremely large bow, with metallic liquid streaming from around him. The wind blew and his long, pale blonde hair danced, revealing that the other eye he had covered by the hair was blood red and had metallic crystals around it.

"Impressive, monster. You managed to avoid being hit. However…" The cat servant's ears twitch and he turns around. Only to find large, round, orange objects with a red blinking lights, speeding at him. He swiped at one by reflex and the beeping stopped. And then it blew up in his hand, creating a chain reaction of explosions. Smoke covered the garden until with a swipe of his claws, it dispersed, revealing the burnt and bleeding Assassins, cuts all over their bodies from the bomb's shrapnel. The metallic rope had still not dispersed from the blade holding Assassin.

"Nnn, you little…!" He stopped mid-sentence to see more of those bombs, falling from the sky, an orange figure above them. The cat-man prepared to dodge, until a pair of the arrows from before pierced his feet, pinning them to the ground as the melted and dug into the ground. The red eyed Assassin lets out one word before all the bombs impact with him and the ground. "Eep."

There was no screaming, no grunts of pain as the bombs rained down on the ground. The chain of explosions rocked the ground and completely obliterated the garden, smoke rising from each blast. There was no rubble, just several large craters the size of cars. Not a trace of the Assassins were left.

The Archer known as Atlas lands in the crater, wearing a completely different outfit. She wore orange and cream colored armor that looked futuristic and robotic, a helmet with a red jewel on the forehead and a pair of yellow horns made of metal jutting out from each side of her head and going forward before bending and pointing each of her hands was an abnormally large arm cannons. They were of orange coloration as well, each one was split into an H-like shape. Between the upper and lower part of the guns was a handle and the trigger. Directly in front of it was a slab of metal with a pink jewel in the middle. God knows how bombs came out of those guns.

Atlas connected both back ends of the guns and slid them on her back, a clicking noise showing that it was locked into place. A small flurry of flames then covered her body and she glowed brightly before the flames dispersed and revealed her in her usual clothes.

"… I haven't got time for weaklings like you." She said to were the Assassins used to be and walked away, back into the manor. The male Archer looked around and fired several more arrows in different directions, each one killing a small animal. They were enemy familiars. He dispersed his bow, which turned into a glowing liquid metal and swirled into his chest that glowed a bright blue upon contact. Once it disappeared, he faded out of existence and entered Tokiomi's study. The said man had seen the entire thing and was so far impressed. 'The Archer's arrows can bind servants. It will be useful against the other servants. I wonder if it can even hold down Berserker class servants. Atlas's bombs are perfect against crowds of enemies. And she says that her fire resistance is extremely high, if not maximum. However…'

Tokiomi looks at Archer with a small grin. "That was most impressive, Archer. Your abilities prove to be most interesting and yet…" Tokiomi's voice trails off.

Archer raises his left eyebrow. "And yet?"

"And yet I believe that you have not shown me all of your abilities. That binding arrow was impressive but besides your noble phantasm, you have other tricks up your sleeve as well, don't you? The Tohsaka head continued. He saw Archer smirk for a brief second.

Archer closes his eyes. "It is true that I have more abilities at my disposal. And a few weapons as well. However, it is always best to save the best fireworks until the show's climax. And we are merely at the intro." Archer's eyes open again. "But rest assured, my abilities will be enough to defeat the other servants, if we plan our battles carefully."

"Agreed. Then I shall look forward to seeing more of your powers. And of course I will look forward to seeing your partner's true power as well. Speaking of which, where is Atlas?" Tokiomi asked.

Archer turns his head towards the large window behind Tokiomi. With his sharp eyesight, he can see the night sky and the beautiful moon. He can see the charred ground, the craters, and the trees. No sign of Atlas. He looks at Tokiomi again. "Perhaps she is tired after releasing that many bombs. She would most likely be asleep in her spirit form."

The wine drinking master stands up and walks past Archer. "Perhaps. I wouldn't be pleased if she was abandoning her job of guarding the manor. Maybe a bit of sleep can release her tension. She always looks like she's in a bad mood. Well then, I bid you goodnight Archer." The magus exits the room and closes the door. Archer walks to the window silently and looks to the ground. And he could see Atlas walking off silently, almost tip-toeing. She glances back at the manor and her eyes lock with Archers. He stares at her emotionlessly when she makes a 'crap, I'm busted." expression.

'Master Tohsaka would punish her for abandoning her post. He knows that I'm better at scouting so using the excuse that she was patrolling the city would not be a good idea.'

They continue to stare at eachother for a few more seconds until Archer smiles and puts an index finger up to his lips in a 'shhh' expression. She immediately turns back to the path out of the manor and runs off as silently as possible. He did not see her rare smile when he turned away as if he saw nothing.

This has been happening for a while now. Both Archers are ordered to watch the manor at night and be on the lookout for any intruders. They were not allowed to leave the estate at all, for any reason. Yet every time, she runs off at night and goes to the city. Archer had done nothing to prevent her from doing so. He had felt it to be entertaining to see how long she could fool their master.

'I wonder what she keeps doing when she goes to the city at night?'

**#same time, Mackenzie household# **

"Assassin has been defeated!?"

Waver shouted when he saw it through the eyes of his familiar. He turns his head to his new roomates, the two Riders. The Asian Rider was reading a book and the other one was meditating. He grunts in irritation when he doesn't get a reaction. He clears his throat. "I said, Assassin has been defeated! Both of them at the same time! Don't you guys get it? There are only six servants left!"

The Asian Rider sighs and puts down his book. "Listen master, Assassin is the weakest of all servants. All he is capable of is sneaking around, skulking for information and stabbing people behind the back. He doesn't pose a threat to those who are well prepared against assassinations. And there is no way that he ever would have stood a chance against tough servants like me and my partner here. Even if there were two of them. Right, my friend?" He asks to the other Rider. He only gets a grunt as a response. Waver sweat drops at his confident servant. 'Still, the fact that every master gets two servants is bad. Even if we kill one, the other one will avenge that one. And if both are killed, there is still the chance that the master will forge another contract with two more servants. The only choice left is to kill the master…' Waver concludes in his mind.

"More importantly, which servants killed the Assassins?" The black Rider asked without opening his eyes. Waver paused to think for a moment. "I think they were Archers. I saw arrows that turned into wires… and I saw a lot of bombs. I also saw a figure with orange colored armor in one of the craters of the explosion. The person sort of transformed the armor into clothes then went into the manor. Then my familiar got killed."

The Asian Rider scratches his beard. "Well, now we know what one of the Archers looks like and a small glimpse of their abilities. That's good. You did well, master. Well, this calls for a small celebration! Let us go out and get drunk on wine and women!" He says loudly with a hearty laugh. The black Rider shakes his head. "I do not drink alcohol, nor do I have any interest in leaving my current position. And master is still a minor." Those two sentences stopped the other Rider in his tracks. Waver shakes his head at the servant's behavior. He had done research on any possible hero this servant may have been and he had discovered purely by chance that his servant's true name was Borjigin Temujin, or commonly known as Genghis Khan.

When we say by chance, we mean that his servant had let it slip. They had gone to a coffee shop after buying the books that Waver needed and Temujin wanted and then the servant had attempted to flirt with the check-out girl, he had used Temujin as a codename. After a bit of research, the name Genghis Khan came up. The facts were all lined up, his army was much larger than Alexander the great's, and he did conquer nearly all of Eurasia and he also had slept with many women. Most were women who were offerings from the kingdoms he defeated.

Waver had a large advantage with Genghis Khan as one of his Riders but that still left one issue. The identity of the other Rider.

'Something that humanity can never escape…' The young alchemist thought as he opened another book.

#same time, Fuyuki church#

"My servant has been lost. I have forfeited my right as master and cannot continue in the Holy Grail War. In accordance to the treaty, I, Kotomine Kirei, ask that the Church shelter and protect me." The executioner declared to Kotomine Risei, his father and judge of the Grail War.

"Your request is granted. In my role as judge, I, Kotomine RIsei, will guarantee your safety. Enter." His father said in the same stoic manner that Kirei uses. They both enter the church and close the doors.

"Father, isn't this church being watched?" Kirei asks worried. However his father gives a reassuring shake of the head and answers "No. for this place has been declared a neutral ground. Any master who defies that decree will be censured."

Kirei lets the tension in his shoulders relax. "Then it's safe…"

"Bout damn time." An arrogant voice calls. Suddenly, a shadowy and oval shaped hole appears in the air next to them, both Assassins walking out of it. The helmet clad Assassin still had cuts on his body but they were not as bad as before. His helmet had a cracked hole, right where the right eye would be. The hole allowed Kirei to see a single yellow eye, glowing in the shadows of the helmet's interior. The cat-like Assassin was no better off. His arms sported multiple cuts and burns, burns with cuts on them and burnt cuts. His body was the same but less damaged by burns. The shrapnel was suspiciously accurate on hitting him on his left cat ear, leaving a hole in it.

"My ear stings." The feline Assassin declared as he sat on the floor, licking the wounds on his arms. The other Assassin decided that he had enough of his own wounds and summoned a swirl of green light from his blade. The light engulfed him and when it dispersed after a few seconds, all the damages done to his body were gone. Everything was clean and fixed, even the hole in his helmet which was now as shiny and black as Adam Blade's sunglasses in Needless.

The cat servant's ears perked up when he saw that and then he pouted, his lips turning into an upside down V. "Nya, you cheater, how come you can heal yourself so quickly? I wanna know how." He said in a grumpy voice. However, the bodysuited Assassin merely dispersed his blade and said "Deal with it."

He then turned to Kotomine and said in a clearly irritated voice. "And you, mind giving us a heads up next time? Didn't expect for the guy to have such weird arrows. If he hadn't caught me off guard, I would've wiped his ass all over the garden!"

Kotomine Risei gave a small smile. "Ah, but you were not supposed to beat him. Now that the masters are under the illusion that both of you are dead, you can gather more information without arousing much suspicion."

The helmet clad servant was still not satisfied. "Still, I need a heads up of what I'm up against next time. It's not easy to open a corridor of darkness in the middle of a fricking bombardment. Even harder to drag a damned cat along with me!" The angry Assassin turned around and started to walk away. 'However… all the corridors to the other worlds I've been to are gone. Even the damn Keyblade Graveyard. Is this world completely cut off from the others or have I been isolated by HIS heart?'

The Assassin ponders as he walks into another dark corridor, leaving the priests and the wound licking servant behind.

**#next morning, Fuyuki Airport#**

A plane had landed in Fuyuki that morning. And its passengers were none other than the Einzbern "master" and her two servants. Irisviel smiles as the wind blows through her long hair. "So this was where Kiritsugu was born." She looks back up to the plane's door and at Saber (who had changed into a black suit) and Hannibal (who had changed into a neater version of his clothes, the right arm concealed by the long sleeves and black gloves). "So, how was your first time riding in a plane?" She asked both of them.

"Twas far simpler than I had anticipated." Saber answered as she stepped down the plane door's steps. Hannibal gave a grim smile. "The only time I rode a plane was when they needed me and my pals as reinforcements. It's nice to ride a plane without any worries about dying."

Irisviel frowns. 'What kind of life did he have? It must have been very rough on him. And that arm doesn't match any heroic spirits I looked up, nor did his codename.' Deciding not to pry into his past yet, she addresses Saber's opinion on the flight. "So Saber, I suppose that flying is nothing to a hero?"

Saber shakes her head. "That's not it. Upon materialization, servants receive knowledge about the modern world. If require, I could even pilot this craft."

Irisviel's eyes widen slightly in astonishment. "Pilot it?"

Saber smiles at her reaction and continues. "Though not as great as the Rider class, my riding skill allows me to command any vehicle or beast, with the exception of divine or fantastic beasts. Once I put the saddle between my legs and take the reins, intuition does the rest."

"Put the saddle between your legs and take the reins…" Irisviel trails off as she giggles from a sudden dirty thought. Hannibal snickers as well. Saber looks at the two with confusion on her face. "Was there something funny about what I said?"

"N-no Saber, never mind me." Irisviel says as she continues to giggle and walk down the steps. Saber turns to Hannibal with a puzzled face. "I do not understand what was so funny."

Hannibal sighs and whispers the dirty joke behind her sentence. Saber turns a bright shade of red and slaps him on the left cheek, earning a yelp from Hannibal.

"Oww, what the heck was that for?" Hannibal frowns at the sudden attack.

"H-how could you have thought of something so p-perverted from a simple sentence?" Saber stutters as she walks down after Irisviel. Hannibal walks down after her, still rubbing his sore cheek. He had suffered many injuries in his life and yet this slap seemed to sting more than any bite or claw slash that he had ever suffered. "Don't blame me, she started laughing first! I just realized the joke after her!" He replied. The two continued arguing until they were inside the limousine that the Einzbern family provided. Inside the limo, Irisviel was staring at the buildings that they passed in wonder. After a while, they decided it would be better to go for a walk in the city.

Hannibal was staring at the buildings with a smile of sadness. "So this is what Japan was like, huh?" He lit a cigarette and started to smoke as they walked.

Irisviel and Saber look at him with confused expressions. "WAS like? What do you mean?" Irisviel asked with a concerned voice. The male Saber servant walks ahead of them with the sad smile still in place. "Let's just say I came from a time when these buildings were little more than rubble."

The two women's eyes widen in shock. 'He came from the future?' They thought at the same time. At that moment, they didn't see the back of a man with a calm and happy face. They only saw a man wearing a happy mask, pain and regret being his true skin. Still, they walked along.

**#hours later#**

They walked around the city, the beach and other tourist locations around Fuyuki until they felt a presence. No, not a presence. A brief surge of mana, enough to make servants and masters aware of the location.

"Enemy servants." Irisviel realizes and turns to the other two.

"Yep, just a couple of hundred meters away. Should we take em on? Hannibal asks as he cracks his knuckles. "It'd be a great workout."

Saber looks at Irisviel for her decision. The Einzbern homunculus nods and they set out for the location of the duel.

**#dock's cargo area#**

The three arrive after at least twenty minutes. Irisviel looks around, feeling a bit nervous about her first time to witness a battle between servants.

"So you have come." An echoing male voice resounds through the docks. Saber raises her invisible air and activates her armor when she sees a figure approach. Though it was far, at least 40 meters or so, she could make out the details of its appearance. A black cloak, steel nails, bladed feet, a steel mask with yellow eyes and a long halberd- no. Naginata. This servant was a Lancer.

"I am the servant Lancer." The voice echoes. "I see you have accepted my challenge. Prepare yourself, I will not go easy on you just because you are a woman." He raises his naginata and spins it briefly before hlding it with his left hand and entering a battle stance, his two bladed feet planted into the concrete, the blade being held behind him. Saber enters her battle stance and declares her reply. "I am the servant Saber. I accept your challenge to an honest duel. Now come, Lancer!" The two pause for a few seconds before making a mad dash at each other.

Hannibal sucks in another puff from his cigarette before sighing. "So it begins."

**Whew, that was tiring. Anyhow, the battle between Lancer and Sber begins! I hope you guys can figure out his identity on the next chapter cuz he will be showing his moves then! Please await the next chapter! Don't forget to comment!**

**This is Hazama-chan, wishing that he had the ability to open the gate of Babylon, so he can rule the world! KIHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!**


	6. Chapter 6: Lets get ready to rumbllleee!

Chapter 6

**Let's get ready to rumbllllleeeeee!**

**Annnnnnnnnnddddd I'm back! The first battle of the Grail War begins! Or maybe the second if you count that battle of Assassin vs. Archer. But that was a fake battle anyway. **

**Anyhow, it's great to see so many people going ecstatic over the servants I have lined up. I would like to thank all of you who reviewed and followed me but that is quite a big list to write so I'll just say thanks a lot! Really, I appreciate it. You there, the one who is reading this? If you reviewed or are following this story, I'm sending over waves of appreciation to you guys. This is not a drill. Tsunamis of appreciation. I'm not exaggerating.**

**Especially Taromaru, you made the longest review I have ever gotten. Thanks! Its nice to see people enjoying this story!**

**Well then, let's get this show on the road! Disclaimer!**

**Kotomine: Hazama-chan does not own anything in relation to Fate/Zero nor does he own the crossover characters in this fan fictio- I believe we have proven our point that he does not own anything so why bother with a disclaimer at all? Just cut straight to the story for Christ's sake. And I won't even bother with the legend because I am sure you readers have figured it out by now.**

**Me… I think he's in a bad mood for God knows what reason. Maybe he doesn't get enough screen time?**

(Note: It might be better if you listened to the song Blue Iconoclast, the opening song of blazblue calamity trigger, from three minutes and eleven seconds into the song.)

Sparks flew as Saber's invisible sword collided with Lancer's naginata. Their battle was one full of strength as the ground cracked under every swing of the weapons. Lancer's bladed feet dug into the ground before he launched himself into the air. Saber's eyes widened as Lancer landed atop a crane near their location. Saber glanced at Hannibal, who gave her a nod. "Kick his ass."

Saber nodded and ran after Lancer, her armored leggings leaving cracks with every step. She held her weapon with both her hands, aiming it behind her as she held it to the right side of her body. Lancer bent his legs and launched himself straight at her. Saber's feet hit the brakes as she slammed her left foot into the ground in front of her, preventing her from moving any further. Everything seems to be in slow motion as Lancer sails through the sky towards Saber, his naginata held above him in preparation for a slash. Saber holds her blade and prepares to make an upward swing, to counter Lancer's slash. The distance between them is closed as Lancer swings his naginata down. Only to have Saber kick it back up with her left foot, knocking the long weapon out of his hands as she twists in midair and swings her invisible sword at him.

'Got him!' Saber mentally shouts as her weapon collides with… his bladed right foot. Her eyes widen when his right leg is brought up to his chest, bending so the blade of his right foot can halt the movement of Sabers blade. Lancer swings his right leg up and Saber's sword is knocked upwards, the owner still gripping on it. Lancer gives a spinning kick with his left leg, the impact knocking the air from Saber's lungs. A loud crash sounded out as she hit a wall of metal cargo boxes.

"SABER!" Irisviel shouts as the servant of the sword crashes. She moves to run to Saber but a strong hand stops her. She turns to Hannibal who shakes his head. "She wouldn't want you to endanger yourself. Besides, a duel is one on one. If you interfered, it would hurt her knight's pride." He looks at the mass of damaged boxes and takes another puff from his cigarette. "Just sit back and have faith. If we don't, who will?"

Kiritsugu's heart was pounding fast when Lancer landed on the very same crane that he had perched upon. To his luck, the servant had either not noticed him or chose not to bother. Either way, he returned to his position and peered through his sniper rifle's scope to look at the figure standing on top of a warehouse. "Maya, can you see Lancer's master? He is stationed on top of the warehouse north-east of Iri and Hannibal." He asked as if nothing happened. "Negative, he is not visible from my position." The woman replied.

Kiritsugu adjusts the scope on his rifle. "Understood. Then I will take him out from here." He aims at the silhouette of Lancer's master. Suddenly, a gust of wind appears and disrupts his concentration. 'What is this bad feeling?'

He looks around the area, his eyes scanning every structure. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Until his eyes landed upon a dark figure standing atop a crane. He looked at it through the sniper rifle's scope and his eyes widened briefly. The figure had cat ears and large arms with claws.

'Assassin?' Kiritsugu lowers his gun and speaks to Maya through the wireless communicator. "Maya, Assassin is still alive. Can you see him from your position?"

Elsewhere on the roof of another warehouse, Maya nods. "Affirmative. I can shoot him and get his attention while you take out Lancer's master." The woman suggests.

"No." Came Kiritsugu's firm reply. "We're not equipped to battle servants right now. Just stay there and observe him for now, I will monitor Lancer's master."

"…Understood." Maya keeps her arms steady as she watches the cat Assassin who was squatting on the crane's very peak, his arms dangling down his sides and his tail and ears twitching now and then.

'Just how did he survive that attack from Archer? Is he tougher than he looks? Or was that battle a fake? Then where's the other one?' Maya looks with the scope of her gun and aims it around, searching for the other Assassin.

"Looking for someone?"

Maya's eyes widened as she swings her gun to the side, only to have an oddly shaped blade held up to her neck. She stares in shock towards the helmet clad Assassin. He was sitting down with his legs crossed in an Indian style sitting position. His right hand was holding the odd blade at her throat. His head was turned to look at her, the black glass of the helmet reflecting her face. "Yo."

Maya was at a big disadvantage. One wrong move and throat is slit. She moves to put her gun down until the blade presses gently against her neck. "No, don't drop your weapon. Never drop your weapon. Just sit down and watch the fight." She obliges and holds onto her gun, gingerly sitting down in the same position he was. Once seated, the blade vanishes and he turns his head towards the battle. She eyes him cautiously before looking at the battle below. 'What is he trying to pull?'

Little did she know, the bodysuited Assassin's eyes were trained upon her, even though his head was turned to the battle. 'She's confused, I can see it on her face. Oh, I am going to have fun toying with this one.' He thought before turning his eyes back to the battle below.

#same time, Fuyuki bridge#

"It seems that a battle has broken out." The Rider known as Genghis Khan said eagerly as he sat atop the peak of Fuyuki city's bridge. The view was magnificent, one could see the great ocean and the vast city from there. Unfortunately, one certain master was not fond of the view.

"R-R-R-Rider! Get me down from here!" Waver yelled as he clinged onto the bridge for dear life. He was shivering like a child in a snowstorm.

"Are you talking to me or him?" Genghis Khan gestures to the other Rider, who was sitting further across the bridge. Waver develops an angry tick on his head as he shouts "Whichever one of you, get me down from here before I fall!"

"I do not expect you would fall when you're clinging onto it like that. "The Asian Rider smirks and stands up, facing the ocean. "How about we go to that battle and see what those servants are capable of?"

"What!?" Waver shouts. "We can't get in the middle of a fight between two servants! Hell, there may be four of them! Why can't we just wait for them to kill each other!?"

Genghis Khan whistles and the sound of hooves could be heard. He turns his head to Waver, saying "Now where's the fun in that!?" before jumping off the bridge. Waver assumes that the servant landed on the horse and rode off to face the other servants because he didn't dare look down to see for himself.

The black Rider turns his head to Waver. "Should we go after him?"

"What do you think!?" Waver shouted. "Summon your horse and go after him so he doesn't get himself killed!"

The masked Rider stands up. "Come to me, Despair." The air turns cold as the space near the Rider starts to darken and burn with green embers, until the undead horse leaps out of the fissure in the air. The dark Rider mounts the horse and prepares to take off until the small and whimpering voice of his master lets out a request. "T-take me with you…" At this point, Waver would rather ride the zombie horse, rather than just stay on that metal death trap.

#same time, Fuyuki park#

In the center of the Fuyuki Park, which was bustling with people for some odd reason, sat three figures on a bench.

"Can I kill him?"

"No."

"How bout her?"

"No."

"That kid?"

"Nope."

"That old guy?"

"Not happening."

"That baby?"

"No way."

"That dog?"

"No."

"That bird?"

"No."

"Can I kill anyone!?" Uryu Ryunosuke asked in disdain. However, the reply from the skeleton Caster (Who was of course wearing his disguise again) was the same. "No."

"Why not!?"

"Because then there will be moot point in re-educating you. You must resist the urge to kill. There are other ways to enjoy life you know."

Uryu's frown deepens and he slumps his shoulders down. "But killing people is so fuuuun… the blood, the screams, their voices begging me to stop… it's all so fun and cool…"

The hat wearing Caster turns his head to Uryu. "That may seem so to you but it isn't to most others. Tell me lad, when you look at that little girl playing with her friends, what do you see?"

Uryu squints at the girl across the park. "A person who would be a great piece of art when worked with a knife?"

"Wrong."

"A potential pedophile victim?"

"Not even close."

"Somebody who's gonna die by my hand? A future corpse? A mass of organs?"

"No, no and that is disgusting. No, she is a simple girl. Not a work of art, not a victim to you, just a girl. Nothing more, nothing less."

"But that's boring." Uryu whines.

"Indeed. People are boring. That's why we have hobbies. But a hobby is not a hobby if it can rob other people of theirs." The Irish Caster explains.

Uryu looks at him with a confused expression. "Huh?"

"For example, how would you feel if somebody took away your favorite hobby?"

"You mean like what you're doing right now?"

"…Yes."

"It feels terrible, I feel like I wanna cut myself up. I haven't ripped out an intestine for so long…" Uryu rants on. The skeleton Caster puts a hand on Uryu's shoulder. "That's more or less how others feel when you rob them of their hobbies and worse when you rob them of their life. However, unlike those people you killed, you can change that feeling that I gave you when I took away your hobby."

Uryu looks up at the Caster with an excited face. "Really? How, how, tell me!"

"Simple. Find a new one. One that involves zero killing or hurting others, otherwise I will take that from you too." The hat clad Caster stands up. "Now then, you just think about that while I go for a walk." He walks away while thinking. 'If this doesn't work, I will have to use a much more effective way to stop him. In the meantime, I better check up on that huge pulse of magical energy I felt from the harbor.'

Uryu scratches his chin while thinking. 'A new hobby that doesn't involve killing… how the hell am I supposed to find something like that?'

The female Caster next to him sighs before thinking. 'Maybe I can get to work while the skeleton's busy?' She smiles a snake-like grin. "Oh master? How would you like to help me with a small project?"

'While the skeleton's away, the snake shall play.' She cackled mentally as Uryu turned to look at her.

#same time, Saber and Lancer location#

Saber's foot kicks off a metal box and it flies towards Lancer, before he slices it in half with his bladed foot. He holds out his right hand and the naginata flies back into it. Saber stumbles out of the rubble of the metal boxes before glaring at Lancer. "It seems you are not as bad as I thought. Your strength and skill is impressive, though I do not recognize any heroic spirit with garb like that." She spits out a bit of blood before readying her blade.

Lancer's yellow eyes flicker before he responds in his deep and echoing voice. "You are also most impressive, servant of the sword. It seems the Saber class is hailed as the strongest for a reason. My outfit does make me seem rather different from my legend, but I suppose that would make it harder to guess who I am. Not that knowing me would change anything." He spins his naginata before stabbing it into the ground. He spreads out his left palm in front of him and lets out one word.

"Zio."

Saber feels a chill go down her spine as a warning and she jumps to the side, a lightning bolt striking where she was before. Her eyes widen when another one falls from the sky to hit her. She brings up her invisible sword at the last moment, the bolt impacting with it. The bolt strikes the blade and then disappears. She lands hard on the ground, scrambling a bit to stand up and face Lancer, panting heavily, her ahoge slightly singed.

Irisviel stared wide eyed at the servant of the spear/lance. 'He can use magic? A lancer, sporting a mask and wields a naginata…' She scourges every history book she could remember reading but found nothing. The only thing she found about a spirit wielding a naginata was…

"It can't be…"

Lancer takes his weapon from the ground and aims it at Saber. "It seems your magical resistance was higher than I expected. You continue to impress me. Tell me your name, knight. It would be shameful to battle without knowing the identity of your victim."

Saber grits her teeth. 'If it's come to this, I have no choice.' She aims her sword at Lancer, pulling it back slightly. "Strike Air!" She stabs forward, a blast of wind shooting towards Lancer. His eyes widen as crosses his arms to block the brunt of the heavy wind, before being blasted backwards, his bladed feet dug into the ground as they get dragged along. His head looks up to see Saber in mid-air, her sword held high above her head. He slams his left foot into the ground behind him, making him skid into a halt, before he moves to swing his naginata at Saber. A sudden bright light blinds him as the weapon she holds becomes visible, its golden blade in all its glory. Taking advantage of his temporary blindess, she brings her sword down. Only to have it blocked by his left hand.

He grips the blade tightly, blood trickling down his hand. "I see. So you are not just a knight." He kicks her in the stomach, the blade of his foot piercing the armor. Saber lets out a small cry of pain before she is thrown backwards, landing right in front of Irisviel and Hannibal.

"SABER!" Irisviel rushes to the blonde servant, her magic starts to heal Sabers abdomen. Saber looks up at her with a pained expression. "I-Irisviel. I'm fine." She slowly gets up, despite the homunculus's attempts in making her sit down.

Lancer's yellow eyes stare at the servant's blade, once again invisible, save for the wind around it. "You are a king. And the king of kings at that. The great Arthur Pendragon turns out to be a little girl. Quite a surprise."

Saber grits her teeth at the 'little girl' part. "Since you know my identity, it would be honorable if you gave me yours." She said while clutching her blade tightly.

Lancer merely shook his head. "I guessed your name, you did not reveal it directly. However, since you did show me your blade, perhaps I will give you a hint."

He spread out his arms. "I am one who existed before all of this. I am the one who has watched countless generations of this country come and go. I am the one who created the ones you know as Japan's Gods." He lowers his arms. "I am-"

"The original Japanese God." Irisviel finished. "You are the one who created Japan and laid its foundation of soil and nature. You are Izanagi no Mikoto."

Saber, Hannibal, Kiritsugu and Maya's eyes widen upon hearing that. The helmet clad Assassin smirks under his helmet. "So he's a god, eh? That just makes this war more interesting."

The Lancer Izanagi nods. "Correct. I am Izanagi."

Hannibal's cigarette drops from his mouth. "Well, I'll be."

Irisviel shivers slightly. "But that's impossible! Only heroic spirits can be placed on the Throne of Heroes! Divine spirits like you shouldn't be allowed into the war!"

It was true. Only heroes who were alive could be used as servants in the war. People who were considered gods could not be brought in. except this was not the Izanagi that historians knew about.

"I am an exception. The grail has been summoning unorthodox servants that history books could not recognize, I am one of them. I am Izanagi. But not the same one as this world's."

Saber's eyes widen. "An alternate world?"

Izanagi nods before an arrogant voice calls out. "That is enough Lancer. You have revealed too much. Now hurry and end those servants and be quick about it!"

Izanagi is silent for a few seconds before entering his battle stance. "Of course, master."

Saber limps slightly as she lifts her blade, before Hannibal puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Take it easy your majesty, you just got hit by lighting and then stabbed in the gut. Granted, you got healed but you shouldn't open up your wounds." He says as he walks past her. Before she can object, he pokes her on the nose, causing her to sneeze a bit. He laughs as he walks away from her, oblivious to her glare. "You know your sneeze sounds really cute, like a little girl." Hannibal stands a fair distance away from Saber and Irisviel and is also quite a fair distance from Lancer. "Now then, shall we dance?"

Izanagi no Mikoto prepares his blade. "You seem to be a seasoned warrior as well. Are you a soldier? Or another knight as well?"

Hannibal grins as he cracks his neck and stretches a bit. "Nah, I'm neither. Where I come from, I get a different title. Hell, you'd probably be scared of it." He stretches his right arm out. A burst of reddish-blackish energy comes from his armored right arm, blasting the glove and sleeve off it. He splays out his palm, parts of the armor on his hand start to stretch and join together under his hand. It starts to form a shape, growing and growing until it resembles a chainsaw with serrated red blades on the top and bottom of the blade. The chains on his arm wrap around the handle as the yellow gem on his hand glows. Izanagi, Saber and basically everyone at the area's eyes widen as he lifts the blade with one arm, faint roars and growls echoing from it.

"Nice to meet you Izanagi. I'm called Hannibal, I'm a Saber servant. Back in my world they call me…" He swings the blade to his right and looks at the Japanese deity with a grin. "A God Eater."

**#same time, Tohsaka manor basement#**

"One of the Lancers was the deity Izanagi?" Tokiomi Tohsaka asked in disbelief. "How did a divine spirit enter the Grail War?"

From the other side of the communicator (Which was in the form of an old music player. I forgot what it was called.), Kotomine KIrei answered. "It seems that he may be from another world. An alternate version of this one. This may be the same case with the other servants."

'An alternate world…' Tokiomi pondered over this thought. 'It would explain everything. No wonder Atlas's armor seems so odd. It came from another world. But that doesn't explain WHY they were summoned instead of Gilgamesh…'

The Tohsaka head turns his head to the communicator. "For now, keep an eye on the battle. I shall send my Archer there, since Atlas is currently running errands in the city. She seemed eager to do it when I told her to shop for food."

"Understood. There is also another detail I wish to add." Kotomine said with unease. "The male Saber said that from his world, he was branded with the title of a 'God Eater'."

Tokiomi's eyes widen. "A God Eater?"

**#same time, alley way#**

Kariya Matou's head was pounding. The worms were stirring again, giving him all sorts of pains. Back aches, headaches, bone aches, hell he even got lung and stomach aches. He opened his eyes slowly to see the blurry image of something white and red. It was loud. He groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes free of sleep and massaged his temple. His eyes focused and he saw the white and red blur to be one of his Berserkers, the one who gave her name as Shiro. The albino servant smiled and said with a cheery voice "Morning master! Sleep well?"

No, he most certainly did not. His sleep is ridden with nightmares of Sakura and those disgusting bugs. But he smiled weakly anyway. "Yeah, I guess… where's the other Berserker?" He looks around slowly for the other servant. There, curled up like a sleeping animal beside a pile of discarded newspapers. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. He was asleep. Kariya stood up wobbly and supported himself with a wall. He turned his head to where he could feel massive amounts of magical energy.

'A servant battle… that man will probably send his servant there to watch.' He turns his head to Shiro. "How would you like to start your first battle with another servant?" He asked gently.

Her reaction was immediate. "Yes! Shiro wants to fight!" She punches her open palm in a 'Let me at em!' gesture. He smiles and walks away, limping as he goes. "Berserkers… I give you one order. Find the servants known as Archer and kill them."

Unknown to him, Shiro lets out a very scary and malicious grin. "Yes master." She jumps over him and onto a building, then proceeds to jump to other buildings at high speed. At the same time, the armored and lion-like Berserker snaps its eyes open and vanishes in a blur. Kariya continues to limp towards the ware houses.

'Tokiomi… you will pay… my Berserkers will make sure of that.'

**#back at the warehouses#**

The ground shattered under his feet as Hannibal dashed forward, closing in the distance between him and Izanagi. The Lancer raises his naginata to block the incoming downward swing from Hannibal's serrated large sword. The multiple blades screech against the metal of the naginata, Izanagi's eyes widen as he's pushed back, his bladed feet scraping across the ground as Hannibal pushes him back. The male Saber grins as he gives the Lancer a big push with his weapon before dashing forward again, spinning around with his weapon fast, knocking the servant of the lance back again.

'Cih, what strength!' Izanagi mutters in his mind as he's pushed back by the spinning attack, before his eyes widen when his back smacks against the metal door of the warehouse behind him. 'He's pushed me back this far!?' Before he can recover, Hannibal rushes towards him, the serrated blade changing a little as black material spreads out.

And forms a large, gaping, monstrous looking mouth.

'What!?' Lancer breaks out of his confusion as he launches himself into the air, narrowly avoiding the huge and black mouth as it bites into the metal door, chewing through the material and swallowing it. Hannibal frowns and turns around. Lancer lands on the ground, his bladed feet keeping him in place and stable as he pants. He hasn't taken and hits from the blade, yet he has taken strain from the extended battle.

"Heh, I've face tougher gods than you." Hannibal says as his blade reverts back to normal. He changes the grip on his blade, holding it like a cannon as he shouts "Chew on this!" A blast of energy fires out and races to Izanagi, who dashes to the right, his feet barely touching the ground as he dashes across the battlefield, dodging the various bullets that Hannibal fires at him. Some of the bullets that impacted with the ground exploded, some froze the ground, and others would create bursts of electricity.

'His blade can fire off elemental bullets!? What kind of a Saber uses a weapon like that!?' His mental rant is cut short when another bullet shoots right past him, exploding when it hits a cargo box. His yellow eyes glow brighter as he dodges the bullets and raises his right palm and yells "Zio!"

The lightning bolt strikes down on Hannibal, earning a surprised "GAAKH!" from him. The Lancer dashes towards him, his naginata held at the ready to cleave Hannibal's head.

"HANNIBAL!" Saber shouts as the servant of the lance closes the distance.

Only for a horse to burst out of the warehouse door, a certain Mongolian conqueror yelling at the top of his lungs "HALT!"

Lancer's eyes widened in surprise as he smashes his feet into the ground in front of him and propels himself away from the intruder and his mount. Hannibal backed away slowly, despite the fact that his body held some burns from the lightning bolt, he didn't seem to notice now that a new guest appeared.

The warrior and his horse trotted closer to the middle of the area, where he was in plain sight for everyone to see. Another sound of thumping hooves was heard as another horse, one that was much more ghastly in appearance, ran through the hole made by the Mongolian and stood beside him. A quivering Waver Velvet, dropped from the horse, muttering "I'll never ride a horse again…" Over and over.

The Mongolian warrior took a deep breath.

"I AM GENGHIS KHAN! I AM A SERVANT OF THE RIDER CLASS!"

Everybody looked at him with shocked expressions, except for the helmet clad Assassin. He seemed amused.

"I give you three servants' two options! One is to battle against me and lose! The other…"

He takes out a Chinese scimitar and raised it above his head. "SURRENDER NOW AND JOIN MY ARMY!"

**WOW. Genghis just entered the fray. Anyhow, sorry if the action scene sucked. It was my first time writing a full one. And you now know the identity of the masked Lancer. But how did he end up here? For me to know, for you to find out. Either way, sorry for the delay, hopefully I can write and upload the next chapter quicker. Hope you enjoyed it, cuz I know I enjoy your reviews! Speaking of which, please review!**

**This is Hazama-chan, trying to sing Bad Apple from the Touhou project. Progress? I guess.**


	7. Chapter 7: Close encounters

Chapter 7

**Close encounters of the conquering kind**

**I have returned! Again, more delay with this chapter. Sorry bout that. I have been really preoccupied lately. Either way, here is the seventh chapter! It's good to see that you guys enjoyed the last one, I thought my action scene was a bit crappy but at least you guys liked it. I pray that you will like this chapter as well. Anyhow, let the story begin! I won't do a disclaimer because obviously you all know what I don't own.**

**Actually, as a slave, I don't really own anything. TT_TT**

**Enjoy!**

The air was calm, the moon was bright, and a soft breeze drifted over the servants and masters in the warehouse area, as the servants Saber, Hannibal and Lancer let out one word.

"What?"

The Rider known as Genghis Khan lowered the scimitar he raised. "Did you not hear me? I said; either battle against me and lose or surrender and join my army!" He yelled with much passion. The three servants just stared at him with expressions of shock or confusion.

Waver just gaped at his servant, absolutely appalled that he gave up his own true name and class and even asked such a stupid thing. The other Rider merely face palmed himself quietly to spare the shame.

*SMASH!*

The silence was broken by the Lancer Izanagi, as he stabbed his naginata's blade into the ground, cracking it. His eyes locked with Genghis Khan's as he spoke with irritation in his voice.

"Is that all you have to say? You interrupt a battle, shame your master by revealing your true name and now you ask for an alliance? Give me one reason why I shouldn't cut you down right now."

'H-He's pissed!' Waver thought as he shivered from the ferocity of the glare from the Lancer's glowing neon yellow eyes. His sense of fear was replaced by absolute dread and terror when another voice spoke up.

"Waver Velvet? Is that you? I had not expected to see you in this war." A calm, male voice spoke. He sounded like he was in every direction, meaning that he was hiding. Waver's eyes widened when he recognized who that voice belongs to. He began to shiver in terror.

"I wonder what madness had possessed you to steal my relic. It was very foolish of you to enter this war, Waver Velvet." The voice continued. "How would you like me to school you privately? I will teach you all about the fear and pain involved in how mages truly kill each othe-"

"Silence, trash."

The air turned cold when a calm and dark voice spoke. All eyes were trained upon the other Rider, the one whose amber eyes glowed with unknown power. Even though he did not speak that loudly, it was enough to silence the arrogant British mage who was Lancer's master.

"It is you who needs to be taught a lesson. While you cower in the shadows behind the safety of your servant, this boy has jumped into the fray along with us Riders. With one command, he could have ordered me to leave him elsewhere so he doesn't get involved with this fight, but look! He stands alongside us, with a dormant courage. So instead of teaching him, how about I teach you of pain. Of true fear. Come down from that warehouse, you coward."

Lancer's master; Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, nearly stumbled when the servant known as Rider had already revealed his location. All the other servants' eyes (Except for Lancer) and Irisviel's eyes were trained upon the warehouse that the dark Rider had been staring at. Their gaze soon locked upon Kayneth. Waver on the other hand was staring at the dark Rider. 'He stood up for me? A weakling like me?'

The British mage grit his teeth in irritation when everybody discovered his location. "I should be glad that the brat stole my artifact. I would not have liked to deal with such irritating servants as you. And how do you propose to teach me a lesson?" Kayneth smirked arrogantly as he hid behind the invisible barrier he placed against magic.

"For starters, I will do this." Rider lifted his hand and aimed it towards Kayneth. The mage had expected him to fire a magical spell of some sort. He had not expected an old fashioned hand gun to materialize in the servant's hand.

"What!?"

Rider fired of six consecutive shots at Kayneth. The mage's eyes widened at the realization that he did not prep the shields for physical attacks, nor had he brought the living shield of mercury. His arrogance returned though, as Lancer blocked the bullets by cutting them down with his naginata. The deity aimed his long blade at the dark Rider.

"Before you can target my master, you must go through me." His yellow eyes locked with the Rider's amber ones as they gave each other a death glare. The dark Rider reached down to the metal contraptions on his hip, grabbing them and flipping them open, revealing to everyone that those things were a sort of 'Swiss army knife'. Only instead of a knife, they were scythes. Lancer's eyes widen when the masked Rider charges forward on his horse, joining both ends of the scythes into a longer, double bladed one. He spun it around as he sliced and slashed at Lancer. The Japanese deity parried those attacks with by spinning his own naginata, to match the speed and strength of the scythes. He dived under a swipe from the scythes and swung his feet blades to the legs of Rider's horse. Only to have his eyes widen when the horse disappears into green flames. A sudden impact smashes his head to the side as he is flung towards a pile of crates. He grabs the ground, his steel nails digging into it as he stops himself from crashing. The right half of his mask is cracked and bent, a piece of the metal falling off, revealing a strand of grey heir coming from his head. He stands up straight and turns his head to his master.

"Master Archibald, requesting permission to unleash my noble phantasm."

#Warehouse, Maiya and Assassin location#

On another warehouse's roof, the helmet clad Assassin sat alongside Maiya, watching the battle. He was growing more and more amused since the Rider, who was actually Genghis Khan, burst in. he was also interested in the woman next to him. She constantly glances at Assassin, worried that he will stab her in the back suddenly once he gets bored. To her surprise, he caught her looking at him as he turned his head towards her.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you." He said flatly. Maiya narrows her eyes in suspicion.

"Why?" She asks sharply.

"Eh?"

"Why haven't you killed me? I am allied with another master, killing me would have made things easier for you."

The bodysuited Assassin shakes his head slowly. "You can't ever possibly pose a threat towards me. Besides, we're both the same."

Maiya tightens her grip on her gun. "We are nothing alike."

The Assassin lets out a small laugh. "Sure we are. We both dress mainly in black for one." He says as he points at her clothes and then his. If that was his attempt at a joke, it was not working.

"Plus," He continues. "We both live for another person. I live to fight and win the Grail for my master, you live for that man hiding on the crane over there." Assassin says as he points at the crane that Kiritsugu was hiding on. Maiya's eyes widen when he says that. "How do you-"

"Know that you were saved years ago by Kiritsugu Emiya? That you have loved him since then? That you are constantly jealous of that homunculus because she married him and even had a child with him?" He asks smoothly as her eyes widen further.

"I am darkness, I can see the evil in people's hearts. As long as a person has negative emotions, I can read them at will. I can see every corner of your heart and see all of the bad little thoughts that you have." He says as Maiya starts to tremble in fear.

"And I understand you."

"Eh?" Her shivering stops. She stares at him incredulously.

"I do. More than anyone can ever hope to. I know why you have those thoughts, I know why you have a hidden hatred for the Einzbern homunculus, I know why you are always on your own, never to be loved. Because I was that way too, when I was alive. I died alone as well…" He trails off as she starts to see the Assassin in a new light (Not that there was much of one to begin with.).

He looks up to her face. "And I know how to solve your problems as well."

Her eyes widen as she unconsciously scoots closer to him. "You… do?"

Underneath the helmet, the Assassin smiles maliciously. "Of course. Kill the woman in your way."

Her eyes widen in horror when she hears that, widens even further when she feels a part of her agree with the Assassin. The servant turns his head towards the battle field as something crashes down to the ground.

"Excuse me for now, Maiya-chan. I have some unfinished business to deal with. Think about what I said, kay? Ciao." Assassin jumps off the warehouse and vanishes into darkness, leaving an emotionally confused Maiya.

"Kill… Madam Irisviel?"

#back to battlefield#

The air was silent when the Lancer gave the request. Kayneth was pondering if he should let Lancer reveal it so soon. But before he could give any sort of answer, a section of the ground in the battlefield exploded into debris and smoke. Something had crashed into it.

The smoke from the small crater starts to drift away as the cold wind of the night washes over the warehouses, revealing an albino girl, standing in it. She looks around with a smile on her face before she jumps out of the crater gracefully. She gives a happy grin before speaking. "Hello, I'm Shiro and I'm a Berserker! Which one of you guys is Archer?"

'This kid is Berserker? Then who's Caster, Houdini?' Hannibal thought incredulously when the servant introduces herself. 'Still, if she crashed into the ground like that and still doesn't have a scratch, it seems possible.' He snaps out of his thoughts when the oracle cells in his right arm shudder and sting. Something that only happens on one occasion. 'No doubt about it, she is dangerous.'

"Umm, I don't think any of us here are Archer. I think you have the wrong battlefield." Hannibal said to Shiro.

The albino girl frowned and tilted her head sideways while scratching her head with her right mitten clad hand. "But… master said that he would be here…"

Everyone stared at the obviously confused girl until the Mongolian Rider snaps his head at a pile of metal boxes. "WHO GOES THERE!? SHOW YOURSELF, SERVANT!" Everybody stares at him in confusion until a silver light shines where he was staring at. A long haired figure stepped out, revealing it to be none other than the male Archer.

"So you noticed… as expected of the great bowman on a horse. A servant who has the affinity to be both of Archer and Rider class. Borjigin Temujin, or Genghis Khan." He states calmly as the wind gently blows his hair away from his face, revealing his red eye with crystals surrounding it. Genghis Khan grinned and crossed his arms. "You are well informed. And who might you be?" The long haired servant raised his right hand, a glowing white tattoo on the back of it.

"Perhaps I should show you as I test your potential. My master wishes to see how powerful these servants are." He thrusts his hand into his chest which glows light blue. He pulls it out, a liquid and metallic substance flowing out with it, changing shape and forming into an extremely large bow. He quickly aims it at Genghis Khan and pulls back an arrow of the same substance.

'Oh shit, he's Archer!' Waver realizes in his mind. He turns his head to Genghis Khan. "Keep way from the arrows, they'll bind you!"

All the servants' eyes widen in surprise at that. Archer grits his teeth at the boy revealing the power of his bow. 'No matter. I still have other weapons at my beck and call.'

He fired off the arrow that whizzed towards Genghis Khan. The servant had raised his scimitar and swiped at the arrow, cutting it in half. Only for it to liquefy and wrap around his arm. The Rider's eyes widen and he jumps off his horse in order to be able to move around easier. Archer fires off more arrows. Those however were not only aimed at him, but aimed at the other servants as well. 'He said he wanted to test our potential. Does he intend on battling all of us at once!?' Regardless of how absurd it sounded, Archer fired the arrows without stopping or even breaking a sweat. While he managed to bind the Mongolian conquerors arm, the man still managed to duck and weave after jumping off his horse. The other servants did the same, not making any move to block or even deflect the arrows after what they saw happen to Genghis Khan's arm.

'This is getting out of control, nearly all the servants are here.' Kayneth thought. "Lancer, abandon the battlefield and get us out of here. Immediately!" The British magi yelled. Lancer ducked under another arrow and leaped up into the air, landing on the roof of the warehouse, next to his master. He lifted the man up by the waist with his left arm and jumped away, bounding on the buildings towards the city.

'The coward.' The dark Rider hissed in his mind as he jumped over another arrow. He held his double ended scythe with his right hand and aimed his pistol at Archer with the other. Six shots were fired, each one impacting with the odd arrows. 'So he can tell where I'm going to shoot. He is definitely an Archer.' The masked Rider mentally noted as more arrows flew towards them. It was endless and even seemingly pointless, until a certain white haired servant chirped up. "Oh! So you're the guy master wants me to kill!" Shiro says as she weaves past another arrow. She bends her legs and leaps into the air. Archer's eyes widen as he jumps out of the way when she comes back down, smashing her fist where he once stood. The metal boxes were pulverized under the pressure of Shiro's herculean strength. Hannibal's jaw gaped open. 'Whoa, she wasn't kidding! She is a Berserker!'

Shiro stood up where the metal boxes once were, now replaced by crushed metal and scattered pieces of them. She turns towards Archer and dashes towards him, smiling all the while. Archer jumps back, dismissing his bow. 'So I have to use it on her now, eh?'

She leaped straight at him with astonishing speed, launching a kick from her right leg, only for Archer to dodge it. She landed on the ground and leapt at him again, not breaking her speed. She swings another kick, he ducks under it, only for her to grab his leg and swing him towards the ground, smashing him into the pavement, shattering the ground. He coughed out blood as she straddles him, drawing back her left fist. He thrusts his right hand towards her chest. And it goes through it, her chest glows with the same light as his did when he took out his bow. The other servants stare wide eyed as Shiro, lets out a pained sound before she falls over, unconscious, a metallic liquid flowing out of her glowing chest and around Archer's hand, forming into a hexagonally shaped disc.

"So this is what her void is?" Archer asked to no one in particular. Saber stares at him wide eyed.

"What did you just do!?" She yelled as Archer inspects the disc. He turns to look at her calmly.

"I have taken out her void, which is the physical manifestation of her heart, her soul and most importantly of all; her power." He demonstrates by placing his right hand on top of the now floating disc. It wraps around his hand and turns into a blood red color as it becomes a sort of gauntlet. He clenches the now armored fist and smashes it into the floor, the ground violently shaking upon impact. In fact, the shaking continues, like an earthquake on the Richter scale of 4.

"That's what Berserkers power can do!?" Waver shouts as the dark Rider lifts him and places him on the zombie horse known as Despair, so he can escape in case things turn ugly. The warehouses start to develop cracks and the ground starts to break apart.

"This is the power of my noble phantasm. The power of the KING!" Archer yells as he pulls back his fist to smack the ground again.

Until an ear piercing howl was heard across the area. Archer's instinct moved into action as he leaped backwards and into the air, just before a green blur smashed against where he once stood. Before he could even land, an armored and feral looking being rocketed out of the crater he just made and aimed his claws straight at Archer's throat. The servant of the bow blocked the claws with his armored right hand. Only to have those claws grasp the hand and slowly squeeze them until Archer's bones began to break. Archer's eyes widened as he swiped his hand away from the enemy. He landed on the ground and leapt further from the new opponent. His hand felt dull, the pain was spreading all over his hand, he could see how swollen it was and even saw a bone or two stick out of his skin.

'Wait, where is Berserker's void?' His eyes drifted to the feral enemy, who held the red gauntlet in his hand. Due to loss of contact with Archer, the void begins to turn into liquid metal again and flows back into Shiro's chest. She wakes up slowly, like she had been awakened from a very deep slumber. She then jumped back onto her feet and looked at Archer angrily.

"HEY, THAT WAS CHEATING!" She yelled as Archer nursed his broken hand. She then turned to the other being and promptly patted him on the… err… Helmet. "Heehee, thanks for that, good kitty!" She grinned at the feral being.

'He must be the other Berserker.' Archer thought as he slowly started to fear the outcome of this battle. He was going to have to bail.

As if sensing his fear, the armored Berserker got on all fours and growled at him. It didn't sound like any sort of feline. If anything, it sounded like a dog. Or a wolf.

Shiro stares at Archer and then at the other Berserker. "Kitty wants to play with the cheater?" The response she got was a small and guttural growl, which almost sounded like a bark. Almost. She grinned and thrusts her fist at Archer. "Then CHARGE!" She yelled as she and the other Berserker leapt forward, both with the intent on ripping Archer to shreds. Shiro missed when she stamped her feet onto where Archer stood, the other Berserker narrowly missing Archer's neck as he slashed his claw at him. Shiro then kicked at the floor and a shockwave trailed on the ground towards Archer. He jumped into the air, only to have the other Berserker grab him by the leg and throw him towards a warehouse. He smashed through the windows and landed in the dark interior.

'Dammit. With my hand like this, I can't use any voids.' He curses mentally as the two berserkers burst thought the wall.

"Heehee, c'mon cheater, play with us some more!" Shiro said as she giggled and smiled psychotically. The other Berserker let out a low growl, the sound of a predator cornering its prey. The two Berserkers red eyes almost glowed in the darkness as they approached Archer. There was no doubt about it, they were very dangerous. Suddenly, Archer's sight was blinded as he felt a pair of arms pull him into the darkness. The last thing he saw was the red eyes, filled with killing intent, as he gets dragged into a different place, a cocky voice saying "You really owe me for this one. "

Shiro's psychotic smile faded when Archer disappeared. "Huh? Where'd he go?" she and the feral Berserker continued to search around the warehouse before realizing that he completely vanished.

She frowned that it was over so soon but smiled again as she headed towards the hole they made in the warehouse. "Oh well! Let's go back to master! C'mon kitty!" She jumps out the hole and begins to bound her way back to the city, the feral Berserker following her close behind as he became a blur that raced across the rooftops.

'I wonder if master has any candy?' Shiro thought as she leaped on the buildings.

#back to the ruined battlefield#

Saber could only stare wide eyed in shock at the state of the warehouse district. Metal boxes were thrashed, the floor had split and had open chasms everywhere, buildings were either cracked and unstable or cracked and crashed. All because of Archer.

"Just what kind of heroic spirits am I dealing with here?" She asked herself with a note of fear in her voice. Suddenly, she feels a fist knock the back of her head once.

"Don't you mean 'we' are dealing with?" She turns around to see Hannibal, grinning like an idiot. She smiles lightly. 'That's right. I'm not alone in this war.' She turns to Irisviel, who was looking a little paler than usual.

"Are you alright Irisviel?" Saber asked, worried. The Einzbern homunculus smiled. "Of course I am. Just a bit… shocked I guess. That was quite a display of power!" She laughed lightly as she examined the battlefield… or at least what remained of it.

"Hahaha, that was very entertaining!" A loud voice called out. The three turned their heads to see the Rider Genghis Khan, sitting atop a pile of rubble, the liquid metal binding his arm gone. He stretched his arms and pushed of small bits of rubble on his body. He stands up and whistles for his horse. "It is an honor to meet the legendary king of kings by the way." He says, looking towards Arturia. "Can't say I have ever heard of you though." He turns his head to Hannibal, who just smiles sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess I am kind of a nobody." The male Saber says jokingly. The Mongolian Rider grins as his horse approaches. He climbs up onto the saddle and turns his head back to the three.

"Do consider my proposal though, it would increase the chances of getting the Grail. Especially since the other servants seem so terrifyingly strong!" He laughed.

"While your offer does sound interesting and logical, I cannot accept such terms. I must fight and obtain the Grail myself." Saber replies sternly. Hannibal nods.

"Sorry but I gotta agree with Saber here. This is something we have to do on our own. Thanks but no thanks."

Genghis Khan sighed and shook his head slowly. "I guess that's two candidates down. I hope some of the other servants will see some sense. Ah well, then I must depart the battlefield and reunite with my partner and my master! For they seem to have left without me!"

#elswhere#

Elsewhere, a shivering Waver sneezes as he and the dark Rider ride the galloping zombie horse through the forest. 'I feel like someone is talking about me.' Waver thinks as he tries not to freak out about the horse he's riding.

#back to Saber location#

Rider snaps the reins and his steed gallops through the battlefield remains and off into the city. Grail knows how he's going to hide himself while riding like that.

"There goes the weirdest warrior I have ever seen." Hannibal chuckles as the Rider gallops away. Saber stares at the ash eyed servant with a raised eyebrow. Hannibal lightly laughs. "Okay, I meant by personality. There are definitely weirder ones in terms of power."

Saber nods and holds a grim expression. "True… They all seemed to outclass me in every way…" Saber looks down at the invisible blade she holds. 'Even if I hold Excalibur… I am facing those with far more ethereal powers and even one hailed as a god… Who am I compared to most of them? Even Hannibal seems to outshine me…' She says grimly as she narrows her eyes at her incompetence.

*TWACK*

And receives a bonk on the head by Hannibal. She rubs her head sorely and stares at him incredulously. He pats the shorter servants head and shakes his head slowly. "A king shouldn't have such a sad face. B'sides, you got Excalibur! The promised sword of victory belongs to you and for good reason. Because you have it, you are the one who will come out victorious. All you need is a bit of courage!"

She stares at him, dumbfounded at how he attempts to cheer her up. He continues. "Sure, the other servants look tougher and they have weird powers. Hell, that Archer guy seems very dangerous and the Berserkers look like they could rip an Ouroborous apart in seconds, BUT! You are forgetting three important things!" He says, holding out three of his right hands armored fingers.

"And.. what would they be?" Saber asks unsure. 'And what on earth is an Ouroborous?'

Hannibal slowly drops each finger as he names the apparent reasons.

"One: You're King Arthur. Two: You have Excalibur. Three: You're freaking King Arthur!" He says with a wide grin as he slaps her on the back in a friendly manner. She gapes at his answer and unusual reasoning. He steps away from her and lights a cigarette before looking up to the sky.

'He's an idiot. That much is obvious. But he did make me feel better…' She muses softly in her mind before smiling. *insert theme song: The promised beginning, Kingdom Hearts BRB OST*

"Yes, you're right. I will not let those other servants upstage me just because they seem to have more power! I shall show them the conviction and valor of a true king!" She declares loudly, surprising Irisviel (who had silently watched the entire exchange) and making Hannibal smile proudly. He holds out his armored fist towards Saber. "Then let's kick ass together! The king of kings and the king of malevolent gods shall join forces as Sabers and obtain the Grail for their master!" Saber doesn't miss a beat as she punches her fist onto his. "Then from now on, we shall be blade siblings!" She says while showing a very rare grin. The two servants grin at each other before Saber realizes something that Hannibal said which confused her. "Wait, what did you mean by king of the malevo-"

"IRI!"

The three turn to the rubble of a warehouse and the toppled over crane. Running towards them was Kiritsugu and a shaken Maiya. Irisviel smiles and waves at Kiritsugu, who immediately stops in front of her, panting. There was blood coming from his head, a bruise or two on his hands but nothing serious. "Kiritsugu, are-"

"Are you alright?" Irisviel was cut off by Kiritsugu. His face was showing a look of concern he very rarely shows. Ever. There was even a hint of fear in his cold and dead eyes. Irisviel puts her hand on Kiritsugu's cheek and smiles. "Of course I'm alright. I did have Saber and Hannibal with me. Hannibal picked us both up and jumped away from any falling wreckage." She says as Kiritsugu tries to smile lightly. "Thank goodness… when the earthquake happened, I couldn't see where you went because the crane toppled over and crashed into a warehouse…" He trails off. "I was slammed into a wall. My time alter saved me from becoming a complete smudge on the wall though." Kiritsugu and Irisviel show their concern for each other when Archer caused that tremor. If this was a comedy/romance anime, you would see hearts flying around the two. But it isn't. So there were no hearts. Saber smiles when she sees Kiritsugu show true concern for his wife. 'He shows so much emotion to her and their daughter. If only he would do that in public.' She mused in her mind. Hannibal on the other hand was studying Maiya's face. It was turned away from the loving couple, obviously troubled. Her hand was shaking a bit. 'Something must have happened… if I ask her what's wrong, she'll just say nothing. Better leave it for now.' He decided as he took another puff from his cigarette. He looks up at the grey cloud that were visible in the night sky. He narrows his eyes at one particular cloud.

'That one looks like a Vajra. Now that's a bad omen if I ever see one. Better stay on my toes.' He drops the cigarette from his mouth and stomps out the fire in it as the group starts to depart the area. They would need to review what they know for now. Until then, no sleep.

As they leave, they fail to notice a pile of rubble from a different crane and warehouse, shifting slightly. A large and clawed hand bursts out of it as the feline Assassin crawls out and begins to yawn and stretch like a cat usually does when they wake up. He sleepily looks around the area.

"Nya? What happened when I took a quick nap? It's over already?"

**OOOOOKAAAAYY! Sorry for the extreme delay. I had a bit of a writer's block so please forgive me if the quality of this chapter is poorer than usual. I beg for forgiveness. Please forgive this worthless slave.**

**Anyhow, I bet that you have all figured out who Archer is by now. And before you ask any question about his bow, let me just say that a character usually has newer powers that are improvised in a Fate fic that was inspired by TIM. So I improvised his powers so that he can call upon a void that belonged to someone he knew. Check episode 18.**

**Anyhow, it seems that all of the servants have been discovered! Now for the story to continue! Await the next chapter, I shall try to do it faster and better next time!**

**This is Hazama-chan, pondering on why his username has a chan in it when he is a dude. Honestly, I can never understand why I made it that. Perhaps it was because Hazama was taken. SO I improvised. Hazama-kun sounded a bit tacky and san just doesn't fit. So I ran out of ideas and added the first thing that popped into my mind. Chan.**

**Now you know the truth. Use that knowledge wisely.**

**Arivaderci. **


	8. Chapter 8: A day or two of peace

Chapter 8

**A day or two of peace.**

**Okay, another delay. I admit, I have been busy lately. School begins in two days so I have to get lots of crap ready. Anyhow, because I will be returning to high school, I won't be able to update much. I promise that I will update whenever I can, just please be patient. **

**Now then, this chapter is gonna be a bit devoid of battles, as stated in the title. I am truly sorry if any of you were disappointed in the previous chapter's quality, especially the fight scenes. I do realize that some or maybe most of the characters have not utilized a lot of their powers but keep in mind that these are very powerful servants and they take up loads of prana. I bet Kariya was in intense pain when the deadly Berserker duo started to play a game of 'Kick the Archer'. Speaking of which, his identity. Let me see… Long white hair, red and pale grey eyes, speaks formally, has the void genome. I can tell you this much, Ouma Shu has brown hair. Take a wild guess on who this guy is~**

**Anyhow, let this chapter of possibly satisfying quality begin! Skip the disclaimer, if I owned the Fate franchise, I would have made this fic into an OVA.**

**And another season of Carnival Phantasm!**

**Enjoy another chapter of Fate/DEUS!**

**#**mountainside highway#

It was a dark night in Fuyuki. The mountain was cool and quiet, the roads were dark and deserted. Everything on the mountainside was pure silence.

"GYAAAAAAAAA!"

"IRISVIEL, SLOW DOWN!"

Or not.

Irisviel laughs like a little girl as she drives the car through the bendy mountain road, very fast. One wrong turn and it will either smash into a wall or crash into the forest. Both will end with the car exploding.

Ah, yes. The reason why she was driving faster than her usual fast. Well…

'I never should have bet her twenty bucks that she can drive at max speed through the entire mountain road!' Hannibal thought as the car roughly bounces over another speed bump. "ALRIGHT, YOU WIN! SLOW DOWN BEFORE YOU KILL US!" Hannibal yells as his armored fingers dig into the seat. Saber's teeth rattle as the car shakes with every turn. It was getting faster.

"Oh no, you bet I could finish the course and that's what I'm going to do!" Irisviel declares as she twists and turns the wheel like a pro.

Hannibal whimpers as the car gets faster. He turns his gaze to Saber, who was gripping the seat tightly and had her teeth visibly clenched. Irisviel decides to slow down and see their reactions. Saber and Hannibal start to sigh with relief, until Irisviel puts the pedal to the metal and takes off at maximum speed again, making Saber get knocked out of her seat and onto the one next to Hannibal. Hannibal's teeth start to chatter as they get closer to the city. However, this was where the road got more twisted and had more bends. Saber and Hannibal's eyes widen in horror when they see the road. The Einzbern homunculus starts to laugh again as she makes the car turn and turn, making the servants grip their seats tighter.

"OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME, YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD-"Saber chants loudly in her seat.

"SABER'S BROKEN! HANG IN THERE SISTER!" Hannibal yells as Saber recites every known verse in the Bible that may or may not save her from death. As they finally reach the last curve that bends inwards, Irisviel develops a very mischievous smile and drives straight to the metal fence that trails the mountain road edge.

'Oh shit.' Hannibal thinks with dread.

'She wouldn't!' Saber says in her mind.

But the car kept speeding towards the fence. Several meters past the fence is a small gorge and forest. On the other side is the road.

"DON"T DO IT!" The two servants of the sword shout in horror.

"BANZAI!" Irisviel shouts happily at the top of her voice as the car drives through the fence and shoots into the air, over the forest.

Time seems to go slower as the car sails through the air, Saber and Hannibal locked in an embrace as they scream while Irisviel laughs her hat off.

"GYAAAAAAAAA!"

"KYAAAAAAAAA!"

The car lands on the road safely with a loud thump as it swivels and spins for a bit before finally stopping, the tire actually smoking. Saber and Hannibal stayed locked in the same position as they thank the lord with all their heart that they lived through that experience. Irisviel turns around in her seat, smiling at the two servants as she asks "Wanna go for another round?"

"NO!" The two servants shout with looks of equal fear. Irisviel pouts before starting the car up and driving to the city, at regular speed this time.

"Oh, you two are no fun. Kiritsugu would've let me."

Saber and Hannibal gain classic anime sweat drops on their heads as they mentally speak at the same time.

'If he did, he would have lost his stoic personality.'

**#inside a certain hotel in Fuyuki city#**

"So you lost?" The Lancer known as Kaien Shiba asked when Izanagi materialized in the room at the same time the Archibald master walked in. The British magi stayed silent with a scowl on his face while the masked servant nodded.

Kaien was sitting on a chair facing the TV, his clothes changed into a pair of jeans, sneakers, a yellow t-shirt which (strangely and coincidentally) had the Japanese symbol for 13 on the chest area. He wore a dark grey vest over the shirt. He sighed at Izanagi's response and slumped lower into the chair.

"Well, no biggie. At least you got a lot of info from the fight, right?" Kaien says as he fumbles his hand around for the TV remote. Sola-Ui looks at Kayneth with small, very small concern when his scowl deepens. He was obviously very annoyed.

"…True, we did learn something. And it's that the other servants are absolutely overpowered." Kayneth says as he sits down at a table. Sola-Ui pours him a glass of water as Kayneth continues talking.

"First, there are the Saber servants. One of them is the great King Arthur, although it turns out that the legend was inaccurate. King Arthur was a girl." He says, earning a surprised look from Sola-ui. Kaien has a confused face as Kayneth said that. 'King who?'

"The other Saber called himself a 'God Eater' and was unbelievably powerful. His speed rivaled Izanagi's and he made an enormous mouth appear from his blade! It even ate through the metal of the warehouse door. If he had successfully bitten into Izanagi…" Kayneth trails off before drinking down the glass of water that his fiancé placed in front of him.

"And then the Riders, an idiotic oaf by the name of Genghis Khan and an arrogant pale Rider who had the gall to shoot at me. With a modern pistol no less! Then the Archer arrived, an annoyance whose arrows could bind a servant easily. We had to withdraw before anymore servants arrived. When we left, an earthquake struck the warehouses." Kayneth says as he stands up again. Izanagi is lost in his own thoughts about the battle.

'That Saber... The king of kings was skilled with her sword. She must have spent nearly her entire life training. She was powerful and had a fire of determination in her eyes. She will be an interesting opponent to battle again. But the other Saber…' Izanagi trails off in his mind. He had been caught off guard by the male Saber's unique weapon. It was powerful and obviously heavy, yet the male Saber- who declared his name to be Hannibal – swung it around like a stick. He had no specific battle style either. As if he was taught that all you need to do when fighting an enemy is to hack away at an enemy until they die. And the mouth that appeared from the blade was hideous and frightening.

'He called himself a god eater… does he really eat gods?' Izanagi wonders before turning to his master. "I am sorry that I could not defeat either of the Sabers, master. I swear that I shall defeat at least one of them next time. In the meantime, may I be allowed to explore the city? I may be able to discover the location of several masters."

Kayneth grunts before walking to a chair beside Kaien. "You needn't to swear it. You just need to make damn sure that you do it. Very well, you have done your work tonight. Dismissed." Lord El-Melloi says as he sits down. Izanagi fades into his spirit form and Kayneth holds out his palm towards Kaien. The Lancer tosses the remote to him and Kayneth catches it, pressing a button to switch the channel. A soccer game comes on the screen.

"Oh good, the match hasn't ended."

Even the arrogant British magi enjoys a bit of soccer like most British people.

**#elsewhere in Fuyuki downtown#**

Izanagi materializes in an alleyway and looks around. ''I'd better activate my human form.' He mentally says as his clothes and mask flicker and fade, revealing how he looks underneath. He wore a black buttoned up shirt with a breast pocket, a black band around his left wrist, long pants which were dark brown and very dark brown shoes. His face was young, his hair short and grey, and his eyes were the same color. He walked out of the alley and on to the street, blending in with the small crowd.

'Now then, where do I go?' He wondered as he walks deeper into the night city.

**#Fuyuki church#**

"So Archer had returned safely?" Kotomine Krei asked his master through the odd communicating device.

"Yes he has, and all thanks to one of your Assassins. From what he told me, he had been cornered by both Berserkers and had lost the use of his right hand until an Assassin showed up. It was the one wearing a bodysuit and a black helmet." Tokiomi explained before taking another sip from his glass of wine. (He'll be having a lot of those.)

"I see… Has his injury been healed yet?" The stoic priest asked. On the other end of the communication device, Tokiomi turns his head to Archer, who was standing in a corner of the room. His gaze landed upon Archer's right hand, which was completely healed, save for the slightly swollen parts that were still healing.

"Mostly. He has no special healing abilities, save for a slightly faster regeneration rate. He should not fight for a day or two." Tokiomi says. He and Kirei then proceed to bid each other good night after comparing the data they learned from the battle.

Kirei walks into his room in the church, a small room containing a couch, wine cabinet, small table and other small pieces of furniture. He closes the door behind him and sits down in a chair. He sighs before leaning back in his seat and closes his eyes to have a small nap.

"Yo."

His eyes snap open. He sits up straight and sees the bodysuit clad Assassin sitting in a chair, opposite of him, the short end table between them. Kirei almost didn't recognize the servant due to the absence of something. His helmet.

Assassin had a young face, hell he looked like he was still fifteen. His eyes were a deep gold color and his hair was black and spiky. The helmet was technically still on his face, the metal lining still around his jaw. The black glass however was gone. He had a smirk on his lips.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue? Speaking of which, where is that cat anyway?" Assassin asks as he turns his head around the room. Kirei stares at him for a bit before answering. "I don't know. How was the battle?"

Assassin chuckles. "C'mon master, you know how it went. You saw it through my eyes, remember? That was kinda creepy though, considering that you can see everything that I see. Just don't try that while I'm on the can, kay?"

The former executioner blinks in surprise before retorting in a slightly louder voice. "I would never do such a thing. The very thought is repulsive."

Assassin laughs and puts both his legs up on the table. "I was just kidding. Man, you need to learn to joke around, ya sadist."

Kirei stiffens at the last word. "What did you call me?"

"Sadist. You know, people who enjoy making other people feel pain. You get high when ya see others suffer and crap. Or would you prefer if I just called you a troll?" Assassin says as he stretches his arms and legs. Kirei's eyes widen upon the explanation. "I do not have such a sinful perso-"

"Can it, you can't lie to me." Assassin interrupts. "You heard and saw when I talked with Maiya-chan, right? I can see the darkness of humanity, the world's darkest secrets are open to me like a book. I can tell you of nearly every possible dark thing that humans think of. Every lie, every sin, every fetish, every dark hobby, I know what it is. I am darkness. And I have seen yours, Kotomine Kirei. You feel no pleasure in living. You don't have any desire for the Grail. When your wife died, you felt bad cuz you didn't get to kill her yourself. All you want is an answer to your dilemma. And I have it." Assassin declares as Kirei's eyes widen further.

"An… answer?" The priest asks slowly. Assassin smirks before standing up and throwing his arms wide.

"Of course! Just embrace your true nature! Who cares if you're a priest or if your dad doesn't want you to act like that? You are the master of your own destiny, your own life! Take control and make others suffer! They scream in pain? Good! They cry and beg for mercy? Awesome! You are a man who can feel the great wonders of making others suffer in agony, you love to see them become sad or hurt or pissed! You are just like me and God knows how many other people! You are a TROLL!" Assassin explains while adapting a noble pose. Kirei's mind spins slightly at all this information.

"A… troll?" He mumbles in confusion. Assassin sighs before sitting back down. "A troll is a term they use on the internet. It's like a sadist, but much shorter and funnier. Another servant on the Throne of Heroes told me that. A guy with green hair and a suit. He's a troll too." The gold eyed servant says as the gears in Kirei's mind slowly turn while digesting this info. Assassin suddenly has an idea in his mind as the metaphorical light bulb blinks into existence over his head. "How about we have an experiment to show you how good it feels to make others suffer? We can probably take out a servant or two in the process?"

Kirei looks up with a quizzical look before Assassin adopts a smirk. 'Oh this is going to be fun.'

"It involves attacking a certain mansion which holds the master of the Saber servants. And I know how we can do it, with the help of some of my… friends." Assassin chuckles darkly as darkness spreads from behind him and numerous chittering sounds are heard before the shadows rise up and take form.

**#the next day, Mackenzie house#**

"Master, I have come to a realization!" The Rider who is known as Genghis Khan declares as his master brushes his teeth."

"Arr? Whafs fhaf?" Waver asks sleepily. He had only just woken up and now the Asian Rider was already making a ruckus. Genghis Khan nods. "Indeed. I have realized that we are lacking in the necessary strength and awareness for battling those other servants! After having my arm bound by that arrow, I realized that my reaction time was too small and when my pale partner attempted to shoot him down, his speed in firing the bullets was also lacking enough that mere arrows stopped those bullets!" The Mongolian Rider explains. "Which is why we must go under intensive training in order to be more prepared for the next battle!"

"Rha, rhu do rhath" Waver mumbles as he continues to brush his teeth. Genghis Khan pats Waver's back. "And you shall join us in our training, master!"

Waver sprays out all of the toothpaste in his mouth into the sink before snapping his head to Genghis Khan. "What!? Why me too!?"

The Asian Rider shakes his head slowly. "While I am honored that you rode into battle with us, the only people who stay on the battlefield are either soldiers or corpses. If you wish to continue like this, you must become the prior. You must learn how to fight."

Waver cleans out his mouth with water before retorting incredulously. "B-but I can't fight! I've never learnt how and I'm weak! I'm just an alchemist whose only skill is detecting changes in substances and creating weak potions and other chemical mixtures!"

Genghis's raises an eyebrow at this. "Detect changes in substances and other things? You mean like reading the weather or tracking an animal?" He asks.

Waver pauses for a moment. "Y-yes, I guess I can do those things too. If the animal left enough prints in the ground, but that depends on the terrain. And for the weather I guess I'd have to calculate where the wind is coming from and the air humidity…" Waver trails off. Genghis Khan's eyes widen slightly before he grins. "An alchemist you say? Those skills sound more like those of a hunter!" He smacks his fist into his palm. "It is decided! I shall train you in the way of the huntsman! I will train you to use the bow so well, you will even be able to use one to strike at a fast moving hawk while you ride on a galloping stallion!"

Wavers eyes widen. 'A-archery!? Well, it is true that I can use my alchemic knowledge when hunting an animal, heck I can even hunt a servant with it. And I always have been kind of interested in that sport…' His mind trails off as he remembers what his pale Rider said to him in the park.

'Only when you have worked hard and proven to those of the clock tower that they were wrong by surpassing your limits and becoming the person you dream to be, can you achieve satisfaction from that accomplishment.'

Waver fails to hide the excited grin on his face as he turns to the Asian Rider. "Very well then! Genghis Khan, from this day forward, I humbly request that you train me well in the art of Archery!"

The said servant grins widely before placing a hand on the young magi's shoulder. "Of course! I have high hopes for you, young master!"

The pale Rider watches the two as he stands up from the spot he meditated on. His eyes softened at the sight. 'That boy… if only humanity was more like him. Willing to improve themselves and overcome their limits for the better.' He muses as his mind drifts into a memory of his time with his siblings. It was when they first got their horses and he had been the first one to take one. He can still remember the look on one of his brother's face.

'And yet he boasted that he could get a horse first.'

He turns his head towards the window, the sun shining brightly outside, the sky blue and clear of any clouds, save for a few here and there.

'It's quite a nice morning.'

**#midday, alleyway in Fuyuki downtown#**

Kariya Matou shambles down the alleyway before collapsing while panting. The worms were giving him a hell of a body ache, every muscle in his body was sore and he could feel a burning sensation in his veins. His left eye has lost nearly all of its eyesight, he can barely tell what anything looks like using that eye without putting it at least 4 centimeters in front of it. His left arm has gone limp, so he uses his right to push himself off the ground and slowly get back up. He continues to limp out of the alleyway, in search of one thing.

*grgl*

Food. His stomach was craving for food. Even though the worms in his body can provide necessary nutrients to keep him alive, it won' last long without eating something himself once in a while. And he wasn't the only one.

"Masteeeeerrr, Shiro's hungryyy." The albino Berserker whined while walking behind him. She had offered to help him walk but Kariya rejected it. If he couldn't handle walking, how can he hope to win the war? Or so he thought.

"Yeah, I know. Me too. Let's just get to a dumpster and hope there are some decent leftovers." Kariya says gingerly. Shiro developed a confused and slightly repulsed face at that.

"Why doesn't master just go to a food store?" She asks, tilting her head in confusion. Kariya lets out a ragged grim chuckle as he shambles through the alleyway.

"Because people tend to freak out at creepy or gross sights. Like my face. They'll think I'm sick or something and maybe call an ambulance. And doctors are the last thing I need right now." He answers grimly. Shiro pouts and walks faster, gently grabbing Kariya's limp wrist and drags him along with her.

"W-wha, Shiro, what are you doing?" He asks as he limps along with the albino Berserker. That doesn't stop her though

"Shiro is going to bring master to that big food place and master can't stop her!" She declares with determination. Soon, they emerge from the alleyway, causing many people to stare at the odd duo. Kariya pulls his hood lower with his right hand so people won't see his half aged face.

"Damn it Shiro, people can see us! We're not supposed to attract attention!" He whispers urgently to her. However, she just continues walking to the store on the other side of the street, which apparently a Mc Donald's. The electronic door slides open (Do Mc Donald's in Japan do that? I have no idea.) And they walk in. Several people who were eating stare at Shiro. Then at Kariya. Then at both of them. It's not every day you see an albino girl in a bodysuit and a half aged man. A woman who was eating a sandwich decided not to take another bite as she felt repulsed by Kariya's half aged features. Several teenagers started whispering among each other. Shiro dragged Kariya to the counter, where a slightly shaken lady was stationed. She pauses for a few seconds before commencing the usual protocol.

"W-welcome to Mc Donald's, h-how may I take your order?" She stutters as she asks. Shiro looks at the menu and practically drools.

"Shiro wants everything…" The Berserker mumbles. Hearing that, Kariya decides it would be financially safer for him if he ordered himself.

"We'll have a four big macs and four of anything sweet. No soft drinks. For takeaway." He says calmly. The lady stiffens in surprise. She had not expected him to sound so young with a face so… old. She nods and repeats the order to the kitchen. She then returns to the two customers.

"I-it may take a few minutes for your food to be ready, you may sit at one of the tables for now. But first…" She says the total sum of the price of their food. Kariya nods and digs out some money from his wallet. After he hands it over and moves to sit with Shiro at an empty table, the lady calls out to him. "Um, sir! Your change!"

Kariya waves his hand once as he replies. "Keep it." He sits down and everybody there starts to slowly continue their previous activities, glancing at the odd duo now and then. Kariya, feeling self-conscious, pulls his hood down lower and tries ignore the stares. Shiro cocks her head to the side in confusion.

"What's wrong master?"

Kariya grits his teeth slightly. "You know whats wrong. People are staring at my face because it looks disturbing. It's half aged and has veins that stand out. Who wouldn't be grossed out?" He replies quietly.

Shiro scratches her head, a feat that is not that easy due to her soft mittens, and raises an eyebrow. "Shiro doesn't feel grossed. Shiro just thinks master needs a doctor." She states as a matter of fact. Kariya chuckles grimly. "This isn't something that doctors can cure. This is something that only the old man can get rid of. Until I win the war, I'm stuck with these worms. I have to win."

'To get rid of the worms?" Shiro asks innocently. Kariya shakes his head. Shiro leans forward slightly. "Then, why does master want to win?" She asks in anticipation. Kariya frowns and lowers his gaze. "…To save Sakura from the old bastard. That's all and that's all it will ever be." He says in a dark tone. Shiro raises an eyebrow. "Save? Why? Is Sakura in trouble with him?"

Kariya sighs. 'Guess I might as well explain it to her.'  
Kariya leans forward and explains the problem to Shiro as clear as he can, in a hushed tone. Each time the disturbing details on Sakura's circumstances and the Matou family's worms rises, the albino servant's eyes grow wider and her mouth drops lower in shock and disgust. By the end of the explanation, Shiro has her right arm crossed over her stomach and her left hand over her mouth.

"Shiro doesn't feel hungry anymore…" She mumbles queasily after hearing what the Matou worms are doing to Sakura. Kariya sighs and leans back on the chair, until a lady wearing the Mc Donald's uniform walks over and places a plastic bag with four wrapped burgers and a few other things which are sweet. Kariya thanks the lady and stands up. He taps Shiro's shoulder and she rises up as well before following him out of the store and onto the street. They continue to walk until they reach the same dark alleyway they emerged from. Kariya sits on the floor and unwraps a burger before slowly eating it, savoring the taste. His stomach seems to rumble in joy of finally acquiring sustenance. Shiro sits on a trash can and begins eating two burgers at the same time, wolfing them down with glee.

'Didn't she say she wasn't hungry anymore?' Kariya mentally sweat drops. Nevertheless, he continues eating. As he devours his second hamburger, he contemplates on the situation.

'The other servants are strong. There's the Lancer and the male Saber. The Riders are going to troublesome too. But Tokiomi's servant isn't that strong. Both my Berserkers can beat him easily. I'll have to lay low until I catch sight of him again. Once I do, I'll set my Berserkers on him. The others can just kill eachother and we'll handle the victor.' He plans mentally as he eats his burger. Kariya looks up to the slightly darkening sky with a frown. It was getting late.

'Where is the other one anyway?' He wonders as he tosses the burger wrap in the dumpster behind him. Little did he know, the beastly Berserker was watching them from the roof.

"…"

The servant was in spirit form when Kariya and Shiro went into the Mc Donald's. He had followed them and listened to their conversation, as well as overhearing others. His red and empty eyes narrow when he recalls the details of the girl named Sakura's situation. Needless to say, it was disgusting. He felt sorry for her and felt rage for the old vampire. Oh, he would have some words with that man. But the decadent magi also said that Kariya's life was in his hands. He might even be able to kill Kariya or make him suffer whenever he wishes, so attacking the bastard would be bad. Maybe if he surprised the old freak with a sudden lunge and quick shredding of the guts, the man wouldn't have enough time to react due to the pain and surprise. But that means they would have to be near the man in the first place, and he had told them not to return until they win the war. So they lost their chance.

"…Grrrr…." The armored Berserker quietly growls as his pupils slightly dilate in more rage. He subconsciously gripped the ledge of the building and it wasn't a gentle touch either. His claw-like hands cracked the concrete ledge slightly and pieces of it fell off and landed on a trash can. Shiro, noticing the falling concrete flakes, looks up and spots the servant. Her eyes brighten up and she lets a wide grin spread on her face.

"Heeeyy, kitty! Come down here and play with Shiro!"

The mentioned servant stiffens. It wasn't that he was afraid that he was caught. Well… not exactly. It's that Shiro wanted to play. And her definition of playing was different to the one you might find in the dictionary. By 'play', she means she wants to have a ruthless game of tag. To tag one another, you must grab them and slam them to whatever surface you can find, or strike them with an arm or a leg, which must send them flying some distance away. The game lasts for a few hours. It usually takes place in the forest. That way, nearly nobody will accidentally come across a deadly game of tag between an albino girl and an armored monster.

That and he did not exactly like being called 'kitty'. It wasn't that he disliked being treated as a pet. That was…. tolerable. It's that he wasn't even a cat. Granted, he has armor that looks feline and he has a sort of lion's mane, but he isn't a cat. He's more of a wolf.

"…." The lupine Berserker rises up slightly on his arms and legs. The game always ends in a draw. He wasn't going to let that change now. He pauses for a few seconds before leaping into the air and across a few buildings, bounding for the forest. Shiro lets out a squeal of delight before leaping after him.

"Bye bye master!" She shouts before leaving. Kariya sighs for what would seem to be the third time due to her antics. He slowly stands up before feeling the ground shake ever so slightly. The two Berserkers must have finally landed in the forest. And left a big crater, no doubt.

'Now where will I sleep tonight?' He ponders before heading down alleyway, not realizing that his walking has improved from limping to just walking slowly. Food can work some miracles it seems.

**#mansion in the forest, Kiritsugu and Irisviel's hideout# **

"First of all, let's share what we know about the enemy servants." Kisitsugu announced as he sits down at the long table. Maiya was on his left, standing a meter or so away. In front of him and across the table were Irisviel, Saber and Hannibal. His eyes narrowed in confusion when he saw Hannibal and Saber come out of the car when they arrived, looking a bit green. When he asked what happened, Hannibal merely said "If only you were there." Before covering his own mouth in nausea. Irisviel though, was smiling as usual as if nothing had happened.

The two servants were perfectly fine now though. Saber had her calm expression on and Hannibal was leaning back in his chair, relaxed.

Kiritsugu places photos of the servants who appeared at the warehouse area and photos of some of the masters.

"First off, Lancer. He's extremely versatile with that naginata and has the ability to conjure lightning from the sky. His strength is also impressive if he was able to block a swing from Excalibur with one hand."

"And he's a god to top it off." Hannibal adds. Kiritsugu nods at that and continues. "Right, he claimed himself to be Izanagi No Mikoto, the founder of most of the known Japanese deities, like Susano'o and Amaterasu. Legend has it that he created them after he escaped from the underworld where his wife, Izanami was imprisoned. However when he arrived, he found out that she became an abomination and he ran away from her."

Irisviel frowns at that. "That's kind of sad. You shouldn't judge someone from their looks. Hey Kiritsugu, if I became an abomination, would you still love me?" Irisviel asked. Kiritsugu paused slightly before making a small smile form on his lips.

"Of course Iri, till the end of time." He replies, earning a giggle and broad smile from his wife. Saber grins at the sight, while Hannibal has his gaze trained upon Maiya. The woman had her eyes closed during the entire discussion and was calm. Now though, she had a pained expression.

'So I'm right after all. She's jealous.' Hannibal deducts as he leans back on his chair. Unknowingly, he leaned back a little too far, causing him and the chair to fall down. The other occupants of the room stare at him in confusion.

The male servant of the sword lifts an arm with a 'thumbs up' gesture. "I'm good. Don't mind me. Keep talking." He says with a sheepish grin as he slowly gets back up. Kiritsugu decides to continue with where he left off.

"Then there's the Riders. One of them has already revealed himself as Genghis Khan. That doesn't make it any easier though, he was a very skilled warrior in life and was a great strategist. Nobody even knows the cause of his death. He's probably planning the next attack as we speak. The other Rider concerns me, I have not heard of any heroic spirits that wield such large scythes. He looks like an Assassin but he rides an undead horse, so we can assume that he's some sort of necromancer."

Hannibal tilts his head in confusion. "Necro-what?" He asks, stupefied. Irisviel decides to chime in.

"A necromancer is a magus who specializes in magic that is related to death. Such as raising zombies, ghouls, commanding ghosts and spirits and dealing with spells that involve diseases." The homunculus stated in a lecturing tone. Hannibal's eyes widen slightly.

"He can raise the dead? Nasty." He exclaimed in astonishment. The very thought of bringing a corpse back to life was disturbing. "The dead should remained buried. If somebody dies, let his body be. The past can't be undone." He added. That statement earned silence. Saber frowns slightly, remembering her objective in this war. To undo the past. Kiritsugu decides to continue. "Yes, you're right…" The magus killer speaks in a sad tone. Saber wasn't the only one who was thinking about the past. "It will be hard to confirm his identity but we should be able to find out if we catch him using his noble phantasm against another servant. Now then, moving on to Archer. His abilities are to fire off arrows that can bind an enemy from his large bow. He can also take out an enemy's… soul. With that soul, he can convert it into a weapon, like what he did with Berserker. That ability is unfamiliar to me, even after he announced its name."

"The power of the king…" Saber mutters quietly. Not quiet enough, as Kiritsugu nods at her.

"The power of the king. I looked up every history book and other references that I could find but I got nothing. It would be easier to assume that he came from an alternate world, like Lancer did. An unknown hero."

He pauses for a moment to let everyone digest the information before he continues. "Next is the Assassins. When Saber fought Lancer, I spotted one of the Assassins on top of a crane. I could not find the other one though, neither did Maiya." The said woman's stomach and mind turn at the mention of Assassin. What he said was still repeating itself in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

"The fact that he survived is enough for me to suspect that something off. Either Assassin is really good at evading or his and Archer's master decided to stage a fake death to throw others off guard. Either way, it's best if we keep on our guard. Who knows when either of the Assassins will suddenly decide to take any of us out secretly?" He clears his throat as he moves to the last topic. "Finally, we have the Berserkers. One is an albino girl wearing a peach bodysuit. She revealed herself to be named Shiro, but that is a common name. And I don't think she is of this world either. I could barely see any magical energy from her, yet she managed to create large craters with her physical strength."

"Perhaps she is a certain demigod?" Saber asks to her master. Kiritsugu pauses for a moment before nodding. "Perhaps she is. Maybe. After seeing the list of servants, I can just about accept whoever they are. This war is crazy enough as it is. Next is the second Berserker…" He trails off slightly before continuing with a more serious expression. "Now then, I can tell you this much, it will be impossible to tell who he is."

Hannibal, Saber and Irisviel widen their eyes slightly. Usually Kiritsugu with tell them small bits of known info about the servants first."

"What do you mean?" Hannibal asks worriedly. Kiritsugu turns his gaze to the said servant. "Today, I spotted that servant with my familiars. He was jumping about on the rooftops and heading towards a part of the forest where nobody would be. The cameras I put on my familiar managed to get several good shots and…" He places the semi-high definition photos of the armored Berserker on the table. They could clearly see what he looked like.

"I got nothing on his identity. The armor he's wearing isn't of this age, nor is it of any other age I know of. It even has a tail that actually moves, meaning it is not an ornament. And lastly…" He trails off once again. Irisviel looks at her husband with worry visible on her face. "And what..?"

Kiritsugu looks at her. "I tried taking more photos but the data got corrupted. All of it. These are just the photos that were lucky enough to make it out clean. When I put the data on my lap top, it got infected with a virus. I nearly lost every bit of data on it, if I hadn't used a bit of magic to boost the special antivirus I made."

Hannibal frowns in confusion. He didn't get the point. "So? Your data got corrupted, what does that have to do with Berserker?"

Kiritsugu glances at Hannibal before continuing. "After I restored my data, he appeared on the damn screen of my lap top."

Hannibal, Saber and Irisviel's eyes widen again.

Kiritsugu takes out his lap top and turns it on. "He appeared on my screen and he lashed out his claw. That swipe actually went through the screen and managed to scrape and nearly dislocate my shoulder. Then he disappeared. It must have been a warning, otherwise he would have killed me." He turns his lap top around and shows them the screen. There were no external damages but what the screen projected to them was different. There was a void IN the screen. A black hole in the shape of a slash, like a rip in space, with dark purple pixels outlining it. Whenever the mouse on the screen moved towards the hole, it would start to flicker and fade.

Kiritsugu shuts off the lap top. "That servant managed to insert a powerful virus into my camera and then made it spread to my computer. And then he himself appeared through the screen. It's as if he can turn himself into computer data whenever he wants. The virus was also the most advanced one I have ever seen. Taking in his abilities and the design of his armor, I arrived at one conclusion."

Irisviel already predicted what Kiritsugu was going to see. "He's from the future?"  
Kiritsugu nods at her. "That or he's also from another world. Who knows how many servants are from another world, with all these strange abilities. Maybe Saber came from a world where famous male heroes and kings turn out to be female." Kiritsugu jokes the last part with a blunt and monotone voice. Hannibal chuckles as Saber gets an anime style anger vein on her head.

"That's all for the servants we know of. As for Caster, we still haven't seen either one. They must be laying low as to not attract attention. Until we find out more, that's all for now." Kiritsugu finishes and starts to pack up the photos and maps he used for the discussion, like a teacher cleaning up his books. The trio in front of him started to stand up, until…

"Ugh!" Irisviel gasps as she collapses. Saber holds onto her to steady the homunculus.

"Irisviel, what's wrong?" Saber asks worriedly. Kiritsugu walks over to his wife and holds her hand gently. Irisviel's eyes blink rapidly before she shuts them tight. "Something has penetrated the barrier around the forest!" She says in a slightly pained voice. Hannibal walks over and lights a cigarette. Before he can say anything, his eyes catch something outside the window.

"Shit, DUCK!" He yells as he rushes towards the window.

*CRASH*

Something smashes through the window and into the male servant, pushing him back a bit before he knocks it away with a swing of his right arm. Everybody's eyes in the room widens. Standing in front of Hannibal was an odd creature. It was nearly as tall as him, had dark blue skin and red eyes. It wore odd looking clothes and had a pair of sharp gloves on its hands. It reeked of one thing. Evil. It quickly dashed past Hannibal, and rushed straight towards Irisviel. Saber immediately activated her armor and dashed at the small creature, jabbing her invisible sword at it, because a swing would damage the room even further and possibly harm its occupants. She misses as it jumps above her and lunges for Irisviel.

*BANG*

It never got close, as a bullet from Kiritsugu's hand gun pierces the creature's forehead. It collapses onto the ground and fades into darkness. He puts the gun back into one of his coats many pockets and turns to Irisviel. He helps her stand up but she's still shaky.

"Iri, are you okay?" The magus killer asks with a worry. His wife mumbles something. "What?" He asks. Irisviel looks at him with some fear on her face. "That wasn't the only one. There were more. Hundreds of things broke through the barrier at the same time. From all around the mansion."

Kiritsugu's widen. He could hear more skittering. Lots more. Hannibal hears it too and looks out the hole in the wall. The sight that greets him made him drop his cigarette.

"Master? You might wanna see this." Hannibal says as his blood starts to tingle with an urge to kill. Kiritsugu and the other occupants of the room walk towards the wall and see the sight outside. And it wasn't pretty.

From all around, dozens of dark blue and nearly black creatures were all over the place. They took many shapes and sizes, from small and skittering to large and hulking beings. They all had similarly designed faces, with odd symbols on them. They all reeked of darkness and evil.

"Assassin!" Saber shouts as she spots the servant. The helmet clad Assassin was standing in the center of the huge army, his odd sword materialized and held loosely. He raised a hand and made a 'come and get me' gesture. Though nobody else could tell, his eyes were trained not only on Saber, but on Maiya as well. The woman felt her blood go cold and her heart beat faster. She could feel his eyes upon her.

Saber turns towards Kiritsugu. "Master, Assassin is controlling those creatures, which I am sure of. Requesting permission to destroy hi-"

"The hell with permission, let's get this mission started!" Hannibal interrupts as he jumps out the hole, his sword at the ready. "C'mon Bloodsurge! It's dinner time!" He yells with enthusiasm as his rams his blade into the ground, creating a small shockwave that knocks the surrounding creatures a good distance away. Saber turns towards her master again after witnessing Hannibal's attack. Kiritsugu gives her a stern look. "You know what to do. Take out the servant and buy us time. I need to get Iri and Maiya out of here."

Saber nods as she jumps out the hole and lands gracefully next to Hannibal, who was busy trying to dislodge his sword from the ground. It was buried quite deep.

"Well that was a dumb move. Still pretty damn cool though." He mutters to himself. Saber sighs at his behavior before readying her blade. The creatures were moving closer and were about to attack. Her eyes land upon Assassin and she aims her sword at him. "You shall not leave this forest alive, Assassin!"

The servant laughs and moves into a battle stance. "I wonder about that, Saber!" He yells before he charges at her, the creatures charging as well.

**#hill near the mansion#**

A lone figure stood on the hill, watching as the creatures attacked the building. Faint traces of a grin spread on his face.

"Now then, where is Emiya Kiritsugu?" The executioner asks himself as he walks towards the battleground.


	9. Chapter 9: An act of mercysadism

Chapter 9

**A show of great ****mercy ****sadism.**

**Yo, everybody. It has been a while hasn't it? I thank you all for your patience and here is the awaited 9****th**** chapter of Fate/DEUS! What will happen in this chapter? Will the two Sabers be able to push back Assassin's siege? Will Kotomine be able to meet Kiritsugu? Please, read and don't forget to comment! I shouldn't bother with a disclaimer but I'll do it anyway since I haven't uploaded in a while. Plus, I had an idea from a commenter. This chapter was proudly brought to you by:**

***A stage appears and three shadowed figures rise up on it.***

**"Wherever you are, we will always be there to annoy you for the heck of it! We get high on your suffering! We enjoy your pain! We are…"**

***Lights flash on and reveal who the figures are.***

**"Hazama!"**

**"Kotomine!"**

**"Vanitas!"**

**"LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY TROLLS, ACTIVATE!"**

***They strike random poses.***

**Kotomine: Hazama-chan does not own anything from the Nasuverse, or any of the servants from their respective universes, nor is he in anyway affiliated with their creators.**

**Vanitas: Now you know that, shut up and read the chapter already. I'm itchin to beat up Saber. Both of em.**

**Hazama: And don't forget to comment or I'll gut ya!**

The servant of the sword known as Hannibal was not in a good mood. He had faced monsters before. Huge monstrosities that could eat anything they saw, armies of beastly creatures with ogre like faces, and even a gigantic creature that shot laser beams at him. Most of those he fought with his allies, except for the last one. He had to fight that on his own. And what a battle it was.

Still, never had he fought monsters like these. They moved like liquid, were as dark as shadows and held an aura of evil around them. The most annoying thing was that they just won't end!

"Eat this!" Hannibal shouted as he fired a volley of flaming lasers towards a group of the shadow creatures that oddly resembled gorillas. With banana peels on their heads, like some sort of hat. The group scattered slowly as three of the seven gorillas were destroyed in one go by the lasers. The ones who weren't hit ran away before being replaced by other odd shadows. Hannibal jumps back as a large and portly shadow monster with gladiator armor and a shield on each of his beefy arms smashes the ground with both of its fists. Before it realizes that it missed, Hannibal's armored hand grabbed its face (Or what was passable for a face) and threw it to a cluster of plant-like monsters. The creatures back off slightly as they study the servant. He was doing the same to them. His ashen eyes slowly trailed over the horde, studying and taking in the appearances of each creature.

'They may have different sizes, shapes and abilities, but they have the same damn markings on their face. It kinda looks like the one on that Assassin's chest. Coincidence? I think not!' He deducted in his mind as he switches his weapon back into blade mode.

'Damn, I'm feelin the rush again…' His blood was not ordinary. It was a mixture of human blood and the blood of the monsters he swore to destroy. The monsters that reduced the world into a giant ruin, full of holes and bite marks. And that inhuman blood was urging him to go nuts.

'I might end up hurting master and partner if I go nuts… But I need to devour something and fast. But which one of these has the best taste- AHA!' He shouts mentally as his eyes land upon a monster. It was much larger than the others, being at least as tall as a small house. It looked robotic and had its main body parts separated. The arms, legs and head were not connected but instead they were floating separately. It seemed to reek of prana. Perfect.

"Dinnertime!" Hannibal shouts with some glee as he charges towards the robot. The other creatures move to attack him but he cuts them all in half at the waist by spinning his blade around horizontally, not missing a beat as he jumps over another gorilla monster that raises stalagmites of stone from the ground by smashing its fists down. Sensing the imminent danger, the robot-like shadow creature rears its left arm back and launches it towards the airborne servant. Hannibal however, flips over the incoming fist in mid-air, kicks off the arm and launches himself further into the air. The robotic creature was probably strong, but it was very slow. That was a very fatal flaw, as the servant it was fighting was fast. Hannibal rears back his blade as the dark mouth full of serrated teeth begins to materialize over the blade. The blade shrinks in size so that it won't get in the way of the mouth.

"ITADAKIMASU!" Hannibal yells as he drives the mouth into the robot's head. A sickening crunch was heard before the sound of grinding metal and chewing began to echo across the horde. The creatures backed away from the servant as they saw one of their own get eaten alive by the monstrous mouth. After the mouth stopped eating, it slowly shrunk back into the blade, which grew back to its original size. Once that was done, a brief burst of light appeared from Hannibal's body. He plastered a wide grin on his face as he aims his blade at the other creatures.

"SECONDS!"

**#elsewhere, near Hannibal's location#**

Arturia Pendragon has seen many odd creatures. Dragons were an example. A spirit of the lake was another. These odd creatures that surrounded her though, were marked as odd with capital letters. They were all shaped like parodies of existing animals, plants or even warriors. They had no face, an odd series of markings replacing them. They each reeked of prana and something else… The only way to describe it was Evil. She gave the Assassin in front of her a stern look. She was needless to say, quite pissed.

"How can an Assassin summon creatures like these? You would have to be a Caster to do something like that." She said, the word 'Assassin' rolling off her tongue with disgust. She had not harbored intense hatred for the class, but she disliked their way of fighting, even if it was all they were good at. To backstab and kill somebody in secret, not even giving them a chance. One stab and that's it. No honor, no glory. Just blood. Their way of fighting was 'not fair' for lack of a better term. Then again, the world has not exactly ever been 'fair' in her experience.

The masked servant cocked his head to the side. She could feel the smirk he was making under that helmet.

"What, just because my class is Assassin, I have to stab somebody in the back and just run away? I prefer fighting one on one. Besides, I thought the great King Arthur would have no problems with that. I mean, does this not fit the types of battles you do?"

Saber grips her sword tighter and plants a foot behind her, preparing to make a dash at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Assassin gave a savage and malicious smile from under his helmet. "I mean, you always fight armies on your own, don't you? Always the loner, the warrior, the victor, the martyr. You are the great king who protected her kingdom from all! Yet what you couldn't protect it from was yourself!"

Saber's eyes widen. She grits her teeth and rushes forward to Assassin. However, he disappears in a black swirl of darkness. Then, the creatures start to attack her. As she battles, Assassin continues talking.

"How did it feel? To be betrayed by your own son- no, daughter? How did it feel when you were betrayed by your knights?"

Saber cuts down the swarm of shadowy creatures. Her heart ached as she recalls the battle of Camlann. "Shut up, just shut up and fight me! Were you not the one who said that you preferred fighting one on one!?" She shouts as she leaps backwards before a flying creature with some sort of energy cannon fires an exploding bullet to where she once stood. Assassin though, ignores her and continues talking.

"How did it feel to fight your own knights and cut each of them down? How did it feel to watch Gawain and Lancelot battle each other to the death? How did it feel to stab your own daughter, to stab Mordred through the chest!? How did it feel when she called out to you before her cursed blade gave you that fatal wound!? How did it feel to watch her empty eyes lose all the life that you gave!? Tell me now, Arturia Pendragon, HOW DID IT FEEL!?" Assassin shouted as the creatures became more relentless. Saber's eyes started to cloud up slightly as she felt tears try to force their way out. Assassin's words had made her remember. She saw her knights, battling each other to a bloody death. She saw Lancelot cut down Gawain. She saw the battlefield become covered in corpses. She saw the empty and pained eyes of her daughter, Mordred. Had Saber not told Mordred that she was not worthy to be king, all of that would not have happened. But it did. She clutched her blade harder and bit her lip hard.

'Whatever Assassin is doing, it's breaking my spirit. I cannot break. I can't. I won't. I must not bre-'

"Despite all that, you continue to fight, eh?" Assassin interrupts her thoughts. She raises her head and sees that the creatures have backed off again, Assassin standing several meters away from her.

"You wish to use the Grail to undo the past, to undo your legend so that the battle of Camlann never happened?"

Saber's eyes widen. "How did you-"

"Guess that correctly? I am darkness. I am a being born from the evil within a soul, a monster with no mercy and I take much joy in the suffering of others. I am as much as a hero as a tomato is a potato. If anything, I'm a villain. One. Hundred. Per. Cent. I can see into all the little dark corners of your heart and I am laughing at what I see."

Saber felt rage rise up in her. "What do you mean?" She growls out as the wind around her blade becomes stronger.

"I mean, your wish is crap. I mean come on, undoing your legend? If you do that, all the achievements that your knights have gotten will be for naught! Only a coward would redo the past just to fix a stupid mistake!"

Her spirit was breaking. Each word he said seemed to bite at her heart with a venom called despair.

"..Don't…" She mumbles out as her resistance starts to break.

"You aren't a hero. You aren't even worthy to be a king. That sword that chose you must've been busted or something!"

Another crack in her spirit. "..Stop talking… Don't-"

"You know what you are, oh king of kings?" Assassin taunts, his grin turning into one of absolute evil.

A final crack. "..Don't say it.." She mutters out, her mind swimming in a sea of despair as the memories of her failures rise up and threaten to swallow her.

"I'll tell you what you are. A failure. You. Are. A. FAILURE OF A KING!" He shouts with utmost enjoyment.

Her spirit shatters. Rage boils up from inside her and she lunges at Assassin, her sword raised over her head, eyes burning with killing intent as she lets out a feral yell and brings down the invisible sword. Assassin blocks it with his own sword and lets out a laugh of delight.

"Now that's more like it! Show me what happens when a king goes nuts!" He yells with glee as he pushes her off his blade and jumps back. She continues rushing at him, striking without her usual coordination. Her attacks had more strength but they were poorly done as she was blinded by anger. She could not think rationally as all of her past failures and intensely pent up sorrow and anger explodes. Assassin leaps into the air as he swings his blade, whilst yelling the name of a spell.

"BLIZZAGA!"

A large volley of icicles are fired from his blade, striking Saber all over her body. Yet she sustained no injuries, due to her high resistance against magic. Frowning at this, Assassin tries a different maneuver.

"MAGNERA!"

Above Saber's head, an orb of energy appears. Suddenly, Sabers body lurches towards the orb, her armor stuck to it. As she stays magnetized, several of the other creatures are magnetized to the orb as well, piling on top of her.

"Zantetsuken."

With those words, Assassin moves as fast as light and slashes through the orb. The creatures were destroyed, cleaved cleanly in half. Saber, fortunately, only received a bruised face from the impact of one of the more armored creatures being magnetized to her, and a large bloody gash across her abdomen and upper arms.

"Cih, thought that would have cut her in half." Assassin mutters as he prepares another spell. 'But who would have thought that this would be so damn fun? It was too easy using darkness to cloud her spirit like that. Ahh, the noblest characters are the easiest. I bet Xehanort would be proud of me~' He muses as Saber prepares to charge at him again.

"ASSASSI-"

*WHACK!*

Saber is cut off as her shoulder receives a double flying kick from Hannibal. She tumbles along the battlefield before getting back up, her face covered with traces of dirt. "HANNIBAL, WHAT ARE YO-"She was cut off again as Hannibal closes the distance and slams his forehead to hers.

"Get a bloody hold of yourself, you can't let a couple of taunts faze you like that! The past is the past, nothing we can do about that! Just move on and fight for today!" He says as he flicks her nose with his index finger. All Saber could do was stare at him incredulously while rubbing her forehead painfully. Hannibal walks away from her and faces the helmet clad Assassin.

"What on earth are you…?" Her voice turns quiet as she sees his face. Hannibal had a dark glare directed to Assassin. He was pissed. Very pissed.

"You know, toying with people's emotions isn't very nice. Especially if it's a girl. And especially…" Hannibal says as he aims his chainsaw-like weapon at Assassin.

"Especially… If it's someone who I call my sibling. She is part of my family, even if it is by class only." He growled out. Saber stared at Hannibal with surprise, her anger slowly dispersing.

'He really considers me as family?' She thinks as she realizes what an idiot she has been for falling for Assassins taunts. She puts on a determined face and walks towards Hannibal, standing beside him as she aims her blade at Assassin as well.

"I guess you are fit as an Assassin. You are an expert at lies and deceit." She spits out the last word. "However, taunts like that only work once. This time, we will both destroy you. I won't let anger cloud my judgment again."

Assassin was staring and glaring at Hannibal. "How the hell did you escape from the horde of unversed I sent at you?"

His question was answered when Hannibal patted his own stomach and made a fake burp. Assassin's eyes widen in shock when he understands what Hannibal meant.

'HE FUCKING ATE THE UNVERSED!? HOW THE HELL IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?' He shouts in his mind. It wasn't a big problem, it was just weird. 'Not only that, this guy has a weird heart… I can sense thick darkness around it, but it has some sort of sentience to it. A living darkness that won't let me read his dark pasts…'

Assassin mentally shrugs as he dismisses his weapon and starts to clap.

"Not bad, you are really good. I can't even read your secrets so you must be really kickass. However…" He trails off as a large dark corridor appears from behind him. "That was not the end of my army."

As soon as he said that, more of the odd creatures start to swarm out from the portal. More variations, even several more of the robotic ones, pour out like a flood. Saber and Hannibal's eyes widen as the army surrounds them from all over, at least triple its previous size.

"Darkness is infinite. As long as you are human, you hold light and darkness in you. There is only one person I know with absolutely no darkness in him and he died a very pitiful death." There was a hint of sadness in Assassin's voice. It was quickly washed away as he started to laugh loudly.

"These guys can barely hurt you, I know that much! But they are unlimited! They will keep swarming you until you are overwhelmed, and then I will land the final blow!"

The army of unversed make skittering noises, causing Hannibal and Saber to ready their weapons. They stand back to back and slowly look around.

Hannibal chuckles grimly. "I've been in tougher situations, but this has somehow made it into the top 10 of my list. How bout you, sis?"

Saber gives a small grin as she detects his attempt at raising her spirit. "True, I have also seen more impossible battles. But this one, as they say, 'takes the cake'. Can I trust you with my back?" She asks. Hannibal lets out a snort of humor as he cracks a few crinks in his neck before softly knocking the back of her head with his. "What do you think? Of course you can! We are Saber siblings after all, right? A big brother has to take care of his little sister!" He laughs. 'Heh, it would have been hilarious to have big sis meet Saber. Ah, the laughs we could have had~'

Saber nods, smiling ever so slightly. "Then I shall entrust my back to you… Brother." The word rolled off her tongue with an odd feeling. It was strange, yet it felt right.

Both Sabers grin before changing their faces into serious battle faces as the monster swarm them from all sides. This battle was going to take a while.

**#another part of the forest around the mansion#**

Kiritsugu, Irisviel and Maiya had little to no trouble getting away from the creatures. Whatever Saber and Hannibal were doing, it was drawing the attention of all the creatures towards the two servants. Thanks to that, there were barely any obstacles, save for a few of the smaller creatures. Those ones were dispatched easily by Maiya and Kiritsugu's guns.

"Iri, do you have any idea what these things are?" Kiritsugu asks his wife. The homunculus shakes her head as she answers. "I have never seen or even studied of these things. They must be beings of another world, just like Lancer. In fact, maybe all of the other servants are from a different world, save for Saber and Genghis Khan."

Kiritsugu nods before reloading his handgun. His ears perk up suddenly as he hears a rustling sound in the trees. He whips around and fires two rounds into the darkness of the tree, convinced that the sound came from there. To his surprise, the bullets were deflected by something shining like metal.

"Oho, so you found me." A voice called out. A figure drops from the dark of the trees branches, revealing it to be none other than the last man Kiritsugu wanted to see.

"Kotomine Kirei." Kiritsugu said the name with no emotion. The priest in front of him gave a small grin, no doubt one filled with malice. Kiritsugu raised his gun towards the former executioner. Before he can pull the trigger, Kotomine rushes forward, a black key in each of his hands, held between the middle and ring finger. If Kiritsugu was surprised, he didn't show it, as he shot Kotomine. However, the priest must have had armored plating hidden in his sleeves, as he crosses his arms in front of his face and blocks the bullets without wincing.

'He's fast!' Kiritsugu thinks as he prepares to use a time alter to avoid being diced by the executioner's blades.

"Kiritsugu, move!"

Maiya rushes past him, brandishing a combat knife. Kotomine swings his right arm first, slashing the black key at Maiya. However, Maiya parries it skillfully with the knife in her right hand. Following the parry, she takes out another knife with her left, and parries another incoming slash from Kotomine's other key. This cycle repeats itself in the span of 10 seconds. Slash, parry, slash, parry.

'Now.' Kiritsugu takes advantage of the situation and prepares to shoot Kotomine in the leg, to make him stumble and create an opening for Maiya. Kotomine smiles viciously when Kiritsugu prepares to take the shot. Perfect timing.

*SLAM!*

Before the dead eyed master could pull the trigger, something large slams into his side and knocks him to a tree.

"Kiritsugu!" Irisviel cries out when he got knocked away. She stares at the figure that attacked her husband. It had feline ears and huge claws. The second Assassin. Maiya became unfocused when Kiritsugu was knocked away, giving Kotomine an opening as he knocks the knives out of her left hand, grabbing the other hand and ramming his elbow into her stomach. He follows that attack by kneeing her in the jaw and then kicking her to the same tree as Kiritsugu.

"Maiya-san!"

The Einzbern homunculus prepares to rush towards them before Kotomine sweeps her legs out from under her and pins her to the ground. He makes a malicious grin as he puts more pressure on her arms, bound behind her back with his own. She louts out pained gasps as he puts more pressure.

'So this is what he meant… to think that hurting someone like this would be so fun… so much excitement!' He pushes down more and Irisviel lets out a pained cry.

"Iri!" Kiritsugu breaks out of his shell shocked state and starts to stand up.

"No. Sit." The feline Assassin says as he appears in front of Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu's eyes widen as the servant prepares another attack.

'Time alt-'*SLAM!*

Before he can finish the command in his mind, the Assassin's hand already pinned him to the tree, clutching the man around the neck. He did the same to Maiya, not willing to take any chances.

"It's better if you just stay there, Emiya Kiritsugu. At least you get front seats for the show." Kotomine says smugly as he stands, keeping his left foot pressed into the center of Irisviel's back. Kiritsugu struggles under Assassin's grip as he glares at the priest. That just makes Kotomine's grin go wider.

"Now for the main event." Kotomine says as he reveals a black key in his right hand.

And stabs it into Irisviel's right shoulder. She lets out a pained cry as the blade digs into her flesh and goes all the way out, digging into the ground under her. Kotomine's grin breaks into a completely sadistic smile as he stabs another black key, this time into her left thigh.

"IRI! Damn it Kotomine, what the hell are you doing!?" Kiritsugu yells with fury. Kotomine, Maiya and even the Assassin nearly flinch at Kiritsugu's voice. Nobody would have thought that he would be capable of such anger. Still, this makes Kotomine even more excited.

"Isn't it obvious? I am plunging you into despair." The priest says with a sickening grin as he plunges another black key into Irisviel's body, this time into her other thigh. She cries out in pain once more as Kiritsugu watches in horror.

'My consciousness… is fading…' She mutters in her mind as her sight turns blurry from the pain. Being stabbed like this shouldn't give this much pain, but Kotomine must have put a curse that induces amplified pain. Either way, it was torture.

"And now, for the final act." Kotomine announces as he prepares the last black key and pulls back his arm. He is aiming straight at the homunculi's head. Kiritsugu's eyes widen as he attempts to struggle and break free.

"STOP!" HE shouts at the top of his voice. He can't move, he can't fight back, he can't even use his command seals. Every time he tries to connect his mind to either Saber, something dark blocks him. A dark barrier of negative thoughts. Kotomine's face contorts into one of pure insanity as he plunges down the blade.

*sniff sniff* "WATCH OUT, MASTER!" The feline Assassin shouts as he drops Kiritsugu and Maiya, before lunging at Kotomine and knocking him away, barely dodging a blue fireball that came shooting through were Kotomine's head once was. The mentioned priest gets up quickly before scanning the area from where the attack came from.

"Damn, I hate it when I miss." A lazy voice sighs. All eyes turn to a figure slowly walking out of the darkness of the trees. He had black hair, long white robes with a frilled collar and held a katana in his right hand. It was the other Lancer. But of course the others don't know that.

"Who are you? You smell like potato chips and seafood..." The red eyed Assassin says with a snarl on his face. The new guest makes a grossed out face at that.

"Ew, you can smell my dinner? I pity you when you go near a sewer." The man says jokingly as he turns to look at Kiritsugu. The master had taken advantage of Kotomine's distraction and picked up Irisviel, carrying her to Maiya's side. He was now holding his gun and preparing to aim it at Kotomine.

"You're lucky I got here in time, otherwise your wife would be dead. You owe me one." The guest declares as he steps between Kiritsugu and Kotomine. The priest's eyes narrow as he speaks. "Are you a Caster? That fireball was certainly strong, moving at that velocity." He turns his head towards a tree, where the fireball had hit instead of his head. The entire thing was blown to smithereens, smoking splinters of wood everywhere. He turns to look at the servant again. "Either way, you're a nuisance. Assassin, kill him."

As soon as the command was spoken, the cat servant lunges at the target, whose eyes widened briefly before quickly blocking the claws with his sheathed blade.

"Oi, at least give me a moment to prepare myself! Bad kitty!" The servant yells as he pushes the Assassin off him before suddenly disappearing. Everybody's eyes widen at his speed, before he calls out to Assassin.

"Okay, gimme five seconds!" The man had appeared several feet away from Assassin, close to where Kiritsugu and the other two women had come from the castle.

"Assassin, do not let him cast another spell!" Kotomine commands as his servant prepares another high speed lunge.

"Bakudo 1, Sai!"

However before he could lunge, his arms were suddenly binded behind his back as he lost all feeling in his body. It wasn't a powerful spell, he could easily break it in mere seconds. However…

"Rankle the seas and heavens… Nejibana!"

Silence ensued, as the new servant's blade starts to spin in his hand, growing longer and longer as water flows off it endlessly. Everyone's eyes once again widened upon seeing his katana transform into a trident, longer than his own body. No, trident wasn't quite it. It certainly had tree blades on it, however the shape of the blades was similar to a Chinese halberds. There was blue fur flowing from the bottom of the blades. The bottom of the trident had a cone shaped spike.

"Lancer…" Irisviel mumbles under her breath as she gazes at the servant's weapon. It was beautiful. Her wounds slowly healed thanks to Avalon, so she could sit up properly without assistance.

"If the other Lancer is Izanagi… Would you be a god as well? Poseidon perhaps?" She asks as she ponders on the identity of this Lancer. The servant gives a confused look as he replies with a simple "Po-who? Never heard of him."

Kotomine grits his teeth in annoyance. If one of his Assassin's is strong enough to handle both Sabers at the same time, his other Assassin can certainly handle just ONE Lancer, right?

"Assassin, kill him."

The cat servant breaks out of his stupor and destroys the spell that bound him. He grabs the ground in front of him before propelling himself at Lancer. The trident wielder simply frowns before spinning his weapon with both hands, water flowing from the blades. Assassin's eyes widen as Lancer sweeps his weapon in front of him gracefully, a torrent of water blasting towards the feline. Assassin quickly digs his claws into the ground before using it as a launching pad to leap over the water. Almost like a homing missile, the water follows him into the air. He swipes his left claw at the mini flood, his eyes widening in surprise when he gets sucked into it. Lancer makes his trident move with a downward sweep in a graceful arc as the water prison containing Assassin rushes to the ground, splashing everywhere as Assassin crashes to the ground with extreme force, like a tsunami. Assassin coughs out blood as he tries to get back up, only for another torrent of water to slam into his face, knocking him towards Kotomine. The priest jumps out of the way as his servant crashes into a tree, wooden shrapnel flying everywhere. Lancer spins his trident in his right hand before holding it sideways with both hands, aiming the blade at Assassin.

"Try again." He says with a firm voice.

Irisviel stares in shock at the Lancer's abilities. He claims not to be Poseidon, which is understandable since the Greek god never had the ability to shoot fireballs or bind opponents from afar. However his control over water and amazing technique makes her wonder if he isn't just another version of the Greek god, just like Lancer Izanagi. 'His stance and fighting style with his trident is complicated but beautiful… almost like a dance of death.'

The feline Assassin's face was bruised and blood was freely flowing from his nose. He bared his teeth in rage before lunging at Lancer again. The servant of the lance spins his trident again and sweeps another volley of water at Assassin. However, the feline quickly becomes a blur and disappears. Assassin appears behind Lancer and swipes his claw towards his neck.

*CLANK!*

Only for Lancer to quickly spin his trident behind him and knock away the claw. He quickly turns around to face his opponent, and starts to jab and sweep his trident quickly and gracefully at Assassin parries and swipes his claws and punches his fists at Lancer. They continue to parry and block as their speed slowly increases, their attacks nearly becoming blurred. However, even though Assassin had more physical strength, Lancer had more speed and was able to land more hits. Sure, Assassin managed to get a cut across Lancer's right cheek and several gashes elsewhere. But Lancer managed to get several cuts all over Assassin's arms and a few more deep stabs on several parts of the cat servant's abdomen. If this kept up, Assassin was going to lose.

Kotomine broke out of his entranced state from watching the battle and decided that he would have to call it day. If they kept battling, his servant was going to lose, and then Lancer would either kill him or help the Sabers fight the other Assassin. Either way, he will end up killed if he doesn't escape.

"That's enough, Assassin. Get us out of here. We're retreating."

Assassin holds back a snarl as he complies, parrying another sweep form Lancer's trident before leaping away. He rushes to his master's side and picks him up before quickly bounding away.

"Hey, wait! Ah crap, he ran away."

Lancer shrugs as he walks towards the trio he saved. "You folks alright?" He asks with a smile. Kiritsugu hesitates as he ponders whether to aim his gun at the servant or not. He was at a disadvantage either way.

"Yes, we are. Thank you for your assistance." Kiritsugu replied as he put away his gun. Lancer then puts on a goofy smile, which surprised the trio.

"Hahaha, your welcome! Now then, I'd better be off, wouldn't want master to get pissed on why I'm late!" He says before walking away from them, his trident turning to water and then becoming a katana again, which he sheathed immediately after the transformation.

"Wait!"

Irisviel calls out to Lancer. The servant turns around with a blank and confused face. She stands up slowly, still recovering from her wounds.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you help us? Your master can't have ordered you to do it because he would rather have had you kill us after you beat Assassin. Or he would have just let Assassin deal with us and then take him out after." The homunculus says with a suspicious face. To her surprise, Lancer just shrugs.

"Well, I was lookin for some nice fresh air and then I felt a hell of a lot of prana coming from here. Then I saw you guys and then I just thought "Eh, what the heck."."

The trio stare at him with confused faces. Even Kiritsugu had a rather confused face. "But we are your enemies. I am Saber's master and your master's enemy. Why would you help us without a clear reason?"

Lancer develops a small frown on his face before turning around. "When I came here, I didn't see Saber's master. I saw a broken man watch helplessly in horror as his wife was tortured and nearly killed. No person, magi or commoner, should have to go through that."

And then Lancer disappeared.

Kiritsugu finally feels all the tension and stress from that encounter with Kotomine get to him and he falls to his knees. Irisviel kneels next to him with a concerned look.

"Kiritsu-"She was cut off as Kiritsugu suddenly embraces her tightly, his breath hitched.

"You're okay… You're okay…" He repeats as he hugs her close. Irisviel was surprised at first, however that surpised look turned into a small smile as she hugged her husband back.

"I'm fine Kiritsugu. I have Avalon, remember? You don't need to worry." She whispers to him as he shivers a bit from the fear of losing her.

"I know, I just… I don't want… I couldn't even…" Kiritsugu can't finish his words. 'I just wanted to protect you. I don't want to lose somebody I love again. I couldn't even save you.'

Irisviel knows what he was thinking. She knew all about his past life. She knew how much he suffered. That was one of the reasons she loved him. He never kept anything a secret form her. And he went through all of that pain and still kept living. She stops hugging him and holds his head as she leans her forehead on his.

"I know… But don't worry. Even if I die, you can still go on, right? You can still strive forward and survive to complete your dream." She says quietly as she closes her eyes.

"That's all worthless if I lose you…" Kiritsugu says so quietly that Irisviel almost couldn't hear him. Almost. Her eyes snap open as she blushes. She knew how important Kiritsugu's dream was to him. For him to say something like that was a surprise. It wasn't that she doubted his love for her. She was just surpised that he would be willing to call his dream worthless, considering it was something he had strived for all his life. Her husband looks up to her and says in a calm voice again.

"I will protect you for the rest of this war. I won't let you get hurt like this again. I promise."

Irisviel blushes more as he says that. She heard something in his voice that she hadn't heard since he told her his dream. Determination. She knew though, that promise was empty. He could try all he wanted but by the end of this war, she will become the Grail. She was the vessel, she would not live past this war. But hearing him say that gave her a happiness that nearly rivaled the time when Ilya was born.

"Then I guess I'm in your care. Please take good care of me, Kiritsugu." Irisviel says softly as she smiles at him, the blush still on her face. Kiritsugu lets out his rare smile as well. "I will, Iri."

Maiya watched the whole exchange with mixed feelings. The helmet clad Assassin of darkness's words once again repeated in her mind.

'Kill the one in your way. Kill the one in your way.'

She bites her lip as she seals her resolve. She picks up her knives… and places the back into their holsters.

'If I am to protect Kiritsugu's happiness, I must protect his family. No matter what. I will not let the words of an Assassin sway me.' Maiya declares in her mind. Slowly, the Assassin's voice in her head stops. She looks back out to the castle, a determined face on her.

'This war… Must be won by Kiritsugu.'

**Whoo, finally done. Sorry it took a long time, I've been busy. I did enjoy doing this chapter though. And Kaien finally makes his debut fight! I hope I got his fighting style right. Poor Cheshire, being pommeled by water. He won't be going near anymore H2O after that experience. Oh, I know that in KH BBS Vanitas never showed that he could use those abilities. Buuuut, I decided that he should have a few skills that he learned from figthing Terra, Aqua and Ventus. Hence, the magnera, zantetsuken and etc. Just to make hi more formidable.**

**Also, I would like to thank you all for your continued support (If you gave any) and for your reviews (If you gave any). Once again, the next chapter will take a while but I hope it will be worth it.**

**Aaaannnnd, I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MASTERRRRR! If you are reading this, your slave hopes you enjoyed it! **

***ahem* Anyhow, please await the next chapter! This is Hazama-chan, the enslaved writer, signing out. Beam me up Scotty!**


	10. Chapter 10: Memories and Madness

Chapter 10

**Memories and Madness**

**Hi there everyone! Tis another late chapter and hopefully just as entertaining as the last one! I am thankful for those who have had the patience to await another chapter, I really am. Tis a pity that this slave's friends have yet to read this story. No matter, in time they will. Now then, let's get this story started- oh hold on a moment! I forgot to say that I MAY type up a one-shot of Zero No Tsukaima sometime. You know, replacing Saito with another anime character and such.**

**NO, I won't be giving Louise TWO familiars from completely different animes. Besides, there can't be two Gandalfrs at once.**

**….Or could there? NAH, never mind. Either way, if I do end up posting one, please comment and critic, but no flames. Flamers will taste the awful wrath of… Umm…**

**Orihime Inoue's cooking! Yes, that's right! Unless you want several servings of those… unorthodox concoctions, do not flame!**

**Anyhow, enjoy this chapter! Roll the disclaimer!**

**Vanitas: Hazama-chan does not own the characters of the nasuverse, nor does he own the characters who crossed over from their different worlds of fiction and etc. He does however own an actual working original Dishonored and Dragonball Ultimate Tenkaichi on Xbox 360.**

**Me: Ahh Dragonball… Where shouting at the top of your lungs makes you stronger. Well, enjoy the chapter! Now then… HHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! SUUUUUUUUUUUUPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRR SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNN! **

**Vanitas: It won't work, dumbass. **

**Opening theme song: Reimei – by Maon Kurosaki.**

**Ending theme song: Hiyoku ~Contract with you~ - by Maon Kurosaki**

Kiritsugu had not slept well that night.

Oh sure, he slept well for the first couple of hours. After the threat of Kotomine Kirei and his Assassins has been dealt with, with assistance from the second Lancer, they had returned to the building for a nights rest. Irisviel treated any wounds that Maiya and Kiritsugu had sustained during the encounter and then after checking up on Saber and Hannibal, they all went to sleep. Maiya had gone off to her own bedroom while Saber decided to stay on the lookout for any other attacks with Hannibal for a few hours.

The dead eyed mage killer and the homunculus entered their bedroom with equally exhausted looks. They immediately changed their clothes into their nightwear and crawled under the sheets together. No words were exchanged, no 'goodnight' or anything vocal. There was no need. They simply lay there, facing each other as they embraced and went to sleep. Words were not needed. They just embraced, enjoying the warmth of the love they shared as the steady drumming of their hearts functioned as a lullaby to help them drift into peaceful sleep.

However, one of them would not get such a luxury. Whereas Irisviel slept soundly and dreamt of herself, Kiritsugu and the little bundle of joy name Ilya walked through the snowy forests in Germany, laughing together. It was an impossible dream, but she felt happy to experience it all the same.

Kiritsugu on the other hand had a very odd experience. His dreams were memories, though not of his own. They were the memories of the two Sabers.

He saw Saber, lifting the sword out of the stone, cementing her fate. The scene switches to Saber, having a council with the Knights of the Round Table. Kiritsugu recognized a few. A man with a proud and noble face, sandy hair and armor so pure and white. It had to be Gawain. Then there was a long haired man with a sullen look and dark armor. Lancelot of the lake.

Scene switch, Saber fighting her last battle against Mordred. Cutting him-no-her down and receiving a fatal wound in response. Mordred muttered a final word before her death.

'_Father…'_

Saber's once beautiful blue dress was now soaked in blood. The blood of her own child. Saber was kneeling down on the hill of corpses, her hands clasped tightly around Excalibur's hilt, almost as if she was praying. Praying for some miracle, something to undo this terrible event. And then a light shone upon her.

Before Kiritsugu could focus on the light, the entire world flickered and faded, switching to a disturbing sight.

A ruined city, with buildings of the same design as Japan's. The city was utterly ravaged, buildings toppled over, streets devoid of people and skies pale and red. There were also strange holes in many of the houses, similar to bite marks. Kiritsugu found that he could walk and move around in this dream, yet as he looked at his hands, they were transparent and pale blue, like a ghost. He wandered around aimlessly, trying to locate Hannibal, as this must be his life (Unless Saber time traveled to the future with that strange light) but he was nowhere to be found.

And then a monstrous roar echoed in the city. Kiritsugu started to run in the supposed direction of the noise, mentally preparing himself for something like an ogre or a dragon.

What he got was an abomination.

There were several monsters, one being a pack of white and bipedal creatures with (apparently) ogre-like features and oddly shaped tails with spikes. The other was what Kiritsugu assumed to be a sort of chimaera. It had a feline face and body, huge paws and a bone-like crown protruding form it's head, several red appendages that resemble scarfs or capes and a long tail. It was a strange parody of a lion, a tiger and tapestry. At least that was how Kiritsugu saw it.

The beast was powerful, swatting away the ogre raptors with its paws and biting down into one of the monstrosities with its fangs. Two of the ogres raised their tails above their heads and launched out the spikes that once resided in them. This however only earned them a fierce snarl from the chimaera as it backed up and roared, creating a field of electricity. Electricity!

Kiritsugu's eyes widen upon the sight. It was obvious, these creatures were the ones who destroyed the earth. They were harbingers of the apocalypse, the devourers of the world. A name drifted into his head and it defined the existence of these creatures. They were the malevolent gods, the monstrous organisms of a very rare cell.

They were the Aragami.

"Target acquired, attack!" A familiar voice shouted. Kiritsugu spun around out of his stupor to come face to face with his own servant. He looked different though, his clothes being completely repaired, a different sword in his hand, yet still baring similarities to the one he used against Lancer, and was missing the armor on his right arm. Instead, there was a small red device similar to a cuff around his wrist.

Alongside him were two other people. One was a tanned young boy with white hair, a blue hoodie with the hood pulled over his head, baggy pants and a large sword, bigger than Hannibal's, that was similar to a saw.

The other person was a woman with black hair cut into a bob cut, a thin and revealing layer of cloth as a shirt that revealed much of her well-endowed cleavage, a long black skirt and had a large cannon in her grasp.

Both of them had the same armband as Hannibal.

"Right, spread out and flank the Vajra, don't worry about the Ogretails, they'll be taken out soon enough!"

"Got it, Leader!"

"Got it."

The woman replied with vigor while the boy replied with little emotion. The two spread out as Hannibal made his way through the middle. And Ogretail had noticed the man approach and attempted to launch a round of spikes from its tail, only for Hannibal to quickly rush towards it and cleave off its feet and slash it multiple times in the head until it died. He then proceeded to analyze the other Ogretails, only to find out that they were all dead, save for one that approached the tanned boy.

Big mistake. The tanned albino swung his saw blade in a circular arc that didn't chop the monster in half but sent it flying away instead. It crashed onto a nearby building and was buried under an avalanche of debris.

Now that the annoying pest were exterminated, the beast known as Vajra trained its eyes upon Hannibal. It charged forward as the God Eater charged as well, a familiar black mouth rising from Hannibal's blade.

Kiritsugu watched as Hannibal and his allies fought the beast with all their might. He wasn't surprised to find that the tanned boy also had the ability to form a monstrous mouth over his blade. After all, Hannibal can't have been the only God Eater. What surprised him was that Hannibal was able to issue orders in the heat of battle and use effective stratagems against the monster feline. This carefree man who acted like an idiot was actually a very effective leader and fighter.

Kiritsugu soon found that the battle was over, the chimaera toppling over with a low roar before dying as Hannibal's monster mouth took a bite out of the monster's body, before shrinking back. A glow emanated from a part of Hannibal's blade, where a yellowish orange gem was.

"Hey, it's a rare one!" Hannibal exclaimed as he eyed the carcass.

"To the victor go the spoils, as they say." The woman says as she approaches Hannibal. Soon they were walking away, with the ethereal Kiritsugu following close behind.

"Hmm, I wonder what kind of rations today?" She asked to no one in particular. Hannibal scratches his chin as they walk. "Hmm, I think that came up in yesterday's food supply meeting…" He pauses for several seconds before snapping his fingers. "Aha, got it! We're having a new type of corn today!"

Kiritsugu's left eyebrow raised itself ever so slightly. 'There's a new type of corn now?'

"What? Not the giant corn on the cob again! But those things are so hard to chew…" The woman wailed childishly as her shoulders slump. Apparently she was sick of having corn. Hannibal grins at her childishness. "Hey, times are hard. You should be glad that you're getting fed at all."

She turns her head to tanned boy with a hopeful expression. "Hey Soma, I'll trade my rations for some other food you have in stock. What do you say?"

The tanned albino simply looks at her with an annoyed expression as he said "No way."

"Hey, come on you guys! You wanna get left behind?" Hannibal calls out as he apparently walked further from them. The woman smiles as she calls back to him. "Wait up Lindow!" The trio walks away from the battlefield as Kiritsugu stands there, wondering.

"His true name… is Lindow?"

**"Correct."**

Kiritsugu's eyes widen and he turns around sharply, coming face to face with an unknown person. He (Or she, as it was impossible to tell. The clothes that he/she wore were a long sleeved shirt and vest, pants with red boots which reached up the thighs like stockings, a pretty face that could have been a young boy or a young girl, and a thin and lithe body, without any sort of assets to confirm whether this was a very pretty boy or a flat chested girl. Even the voice was androgynous.

**"Greetings, Emiya Kiritsugu."**

"How do you know my name?" Kiritsugu asked with uncertainty in his voice. The person chuckles/giggles a bit before smiling.

**"That would be a rather foolish question to asked, no? For if you are currently dreaming of Lindow's past, surely he would be able to see yours." **

"So you're... Lindow?" The magi killer asked warily. Maybe this child was Lindow as a child-no impossible. They both had different eye color. Unless God Eater started wearing colored contact lenses upon adolescence, they can't have been the same person. The androgynous person tilts his/her head slightly before answering.

**"Not exactly. We each have a part of each other's souls and are bound to one another. We are partners and teammates. It is I who saw to it that the Aragami which endangered him were cut down and devoured by myself. Though he wielded me with his own strength, I supplied him with his power. My name is Ren, but Lindow calls me by a different name."**

Kiritsugu's eyes widen upon realization. If this child devoured Lindow's enemies, then there was only one possible answer.

"…You are his sword. Bloodsurge.**" **The dead eyed man answers, regaining his composure and poker face. Ren smiles again and nods.

**"Indeed. I am his sword, given form when he was given a terrible fate that changed him and his allies…"**

"A terrible fate? What terrible fate?" Kiritsugu asked, wondering what could possibly have…

Lindow's right arm. The monstrous serrated blade.

Ren sighes as he/she gestures to a building near Kiritsugu. A church.

**"In that very church, Lindow Amamiya made a last stand as his allies escaped from a new enemy tey could not defeat. It was a new type of Vajra, a beast known as Prithvi Mata, and that creature had been sealed in church along with Lindow due to a misfire by one of his allies. Lindow ordered them to escape as he battled the creature for hours until it finally died. Then, mere moments after that, another new Vajra, a black beast with a human-like face known as Dyaus Pita, emerged from a hole in the wall and proceeded to attack Lindow. As they fought, Lindow's armband was damaged and he lost control of me. Before Dyaus Pita could eat him, an odd child came and seemed to scare away the hulking beast by staring at it. She then took Lindow away for what I assume was healing. I was retrieved by a search squad days later. Since that day, Lindow has changed…"**

The world flickers to a snowy land, an Injured Lindow with longer hair and shredded clothing limps through the snow, carrying the same blade that he uses now in the Grail War. His right arm was covered in the armor he uses now, but it was much larger in mass and was covered in spikes. A white beast similar to a Vajra, which Kiritsugu deduced was Prithvi Mata, was eating an Aragami carcass before it caught sight of him. Lindow charged and killed the beast in one strike. Soon after, he let out a pained and feral roar.

**"The armband that God Eaters use is a special device that negates the cells of their blade to infect them. It is filled with a Bias Factor that prevents the God Arc from devouring its wielder. Because the band was damaged by Dyaus Pita, Lindow became infected with oracle cells."**

Kiritsugu watches with wide eyes as he sees the world flicker and Hannibal changes, more armor growing on his body, his body growing larger. The scenes continuously flicker and change between Hannibal as he is normally and a monstrosity.

**"It corrupted him, and corrupted him, and corrupted him…"**

Lindow's form became nothing like it once was, now a hulking beast of draconic form, cursed purple flames foaming from its mouth and hands as it lets out a monstrous roar. The only way to describe it was a dragon from hell.

**"And he became the king of the Aragami and the most powerful predator the entire world has ever seen on that day. A beast known as Corrosive Hannibal."**

And just like that, the dream ended.

**#Empty field in the middle of a forest near mountain road#**

*THUNK*

Another arrow misses its target and lodges itself into a tree. The target being an apple that was secured to a branch via wire. It dangled there as the bull's-eye for a certain young alchemist's archery practice (LOL, I have no idea how archery works when you have to practice it so Imma just make up some stuff that feels right!)

"Hmm, try again. This time, feel the bow as if it is part of you. Concentrate and make sure you are using the correct stance. Keep your body steady and your mind clear of distractions." The Mongolian conqueror said to his new student. He and Waver have been training from dawn till midday and the progress was… slow but he was growing. In skill, not height.

Waver took another arrow from its quiver and prepared to shoot it. He kept his body steady, so still that even the wind from a helicopter's blades will take effort to make him sway. His eyes narrow at the target. There is no sound in the area, nothing but the hymn of the slow and small wind, the sound of leafs falling to the ground and the incoming zombie horse.

Wait, what?

Just as Waver was about to let go of his arrow, the pale Rider burst out of the foliage next to the tree which the apple dangled from. Waver let out a startled 'wah!' and accidentally let his arrow go. It zoomed through the air… and hit the apple dead in the center.

"Oh." Was all the young mage could say after seeing his accidental shot hit true. Still, it wasn't counted, at least according to him.

"Oh." Genghis Khan voiced that one word just like Waver. He was just as surprised. "But that doesn't count since it was an accident." Apparently he was thinking like Waver as well. The boy sighs and walks towards the pale Rider with a small scowl on his face.

"Oi, Rider. Did you have to suddenly appear like that? You could have given me a heart attack and my arrow might have hit you instead!" The young magus berates Rider #2 with a loud voice. The servant being lectured simply shrugs before disembarking his horse, carrying a bow filled with several vials of what appeared to water, each vial with a different letter.

"You did tell me to bring these to you as soon as possible, no? So I assumed that it meant I had to, as they say in old movies, 'Run like the wind'. Besides, if the arrow came anywhere close to me, I could have dodged it. I have faced worse projectiles than that.

Waver gains an anger tick on his head before he sighs again and walks to a carpet that he set up earlier. It had three very important items.

One: Lunch

Two: Equipment for archery training

Three: Alchemy equipment

Waver takes out several boxes, a map of Fuyuki's river with letters labeled along the water side and miniature shelves and place holders for each vial that the pale Rider brought. Genghis Khan looks at the boy curiously.

"Master, would that be an alchemy set?"

"Just a simple one, just enough to do this job…" Waver says as he takes a drop of green liquid from one jar and drops it into vial A.

The result was the water turning a shade of red, not unlike blood. Waver let out a small gasp before picking up the vial for a closer look.

"And what would that be? Traces of blood in the river?" The Mongolian Rider asks as he scratches his magnificent beard (LOL, I just had to do that). Waver shakes his head before answering. "It's residue left by spell casting. There are traces of magic in the water."

"And you asked me to get samples of river water because you suspected that a master and their servant is hiding somewhere along the river? Clever boy." The pale Rider praises with his dry voice as Waver continues to drop the green liquid in each vial, until he stops at a certain one that did not change color at all. A vial labeled Q. Waver picks it up and turns to the second Rider.

"Rider, was there anything between points P and Q? Like a pipe or something?" The magus asks to his servant.

"Indeed, there was a large sewage pipe in that area. Large enough for a person to enter while standing. There must be a master there."

Waver nods and packs up his equipment, an astonished Genghis Khan and an impressed Rider.

"Master, I'm starting to think that you can already impress those at the Clock Tower now. You seem to be skilled at alchemy." The pale Rider says as Waver picks up his bow and arrow quiver to practice again.

"Don't be ridiculous, that was just an easy way to do it. There are others who can do much better than that." The boy says as he prepares an arrow to fire.

"You mean they can do this by using more advanced and complicated techniques? Sounds like a waste of time." Genghis Khan says as he begins to eat a sandwich from the lunchboxes they brought from the Mackenzie's house. Genghis Khan picked Waver up there under the guise as his teacher (Which isn't far from the truth really) and came to bring Waver to the training grounds. Miss Mackenzie had given them several lunchboxes filled with sandwiches and other snacks, since they said they will be out all day.

"True…" Waver mumbles as he releases the arrow, which misses the apple but manages to cut out a small chunk. He prepares another arrow. He wasn't exactly concentrating today. He had a peculiar dream last night. One concerning his servants. He saw a large portion of their life. Genghis Khan's was certainly interesting, being betrayed by his own blood brother and leading an army against him. Basically, your ordinary heroic spirit with tons of valor and leadership. The pale Rider on the other hand…

Waver shakes the thoughts of the pale one's past out of his head. It was downright sad and disturbing. He had seen the servant kill thousands of his own kind, slaying his brother with the help of his other three siblings. He saw the pale Rider rush off to a foreign world in pursuit of some way to convince those he worked for to take away the charges that were put upon another of his brothers. He saw the servant battle dozens of corrupted automatons and undead monsters. While it wasn't his full past, it was enough to disturb him. He still remembers the titles he was branded with.

The Kinslayer. The Reaper. The Pale Horseman.

Death.

Waver could not and would not believe that one of his Rider's was in fact Death himself, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He could not believe that someone like Death, was summoned by a third rate magus like him. It was mind boggling.

'Although it seems possible… It would explain the feeling of unease that I get at a graveyard whenever I'm around him.'

However, as Waver fired off another arrow which actually missed the arrow but hit the string that connected it to the tree instead, he had one question bugging his head.

'Since when did the Grim Reaper have a six pack?"

**#a certain hotel with a certain British mage by the title of El-Mambo#**

Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi gets an angry tick on his forehead as he feels somebody mention his title incorrectly. No matter though, he was still annoyed with Kaien. He found out that Kaien had snuck out in the middle of the night to go exploring, which led to interfering with a battle between the Assassins and the Sabers. Kaien was currently kneeling on the ground (As he was demanded to by Kayneth) and was sneaking a glare at Izanagi. It practically said 'You ratted me out didn't you?". The masked Japanese Deity simply gave him a blank stare with his glowing yellow eyes.

"Now then, you mean to say that you prevented the execution of another master, an enemy, by attacking the master of Assassin? Why didn't you wait until he killed Saber's masters you fool!?" Kayneth shouted at his servant, who barely seemed to care.

"Well, they were the masters of Saber so wouldn't they be good allies? I mean, isn't Saber supposed to be a really powerful servant?" Kaien tried to reason. It wasn't working.

"You mean to say that you believe Saber is stronger than you!?" The British mage yelled again. Kaien raised his palms up in defense. "Now now, let's not get crazy! That wasn't what I meant? I just thought that teaming up with the masters of Saber would make it easier to fight the other servants! Especially the Berserkers! Did you see how many craters they left when they practically beat the crap out of Archer?" Kaien said in his defense. He stopped at the site of the first battle during his little 'walk'. Kayneth seemed to prepare to yell again, not yet satisfied, until Izanagi stepped in.

"Master, if I may, he has a point. Both Sabers are immensely powerful and possess great battle prowess. It would be the wiser course of action to forge an alliance with them." The naginata wielder explained. Kayneth kept a glare one before he sighed and rubbed his temples.

"At least the level headed one is in favor. Very well, we shall attempt to build a temporary alliance with them. It would be a good idea to join forces with the Einzbern magi anyway. When should we go?" Kayneth asked to Izanagi. However, it was Kaien who answered.

"Give em a day or two to recover. They just survived a brutal assault and the poor master nearly lost his wife. I think a little R&R is required, don't you think?"

Kayneth paused for thought as he glanced at Sola-Ui. He briefly thought about what would happen if she nearly lost her life to an enemy master. 'It would probably be due to her foolishness. But still…'

Sola's eyes widen a bit when her fiancé's face grows a soft look that she has never seen him do before. The usual scowl on his face was missing, so was the air of arrogance. This face was just… She had no idea what it was. Concerned?

"Very well, you have a point. I shall wait for tomorrow before we attempt to offer an alliance. Until then, you two are dismissed, but do NOT leave the city." Kayneth's face returned to normal as he gave a small glare at Kaien, especially when he emphasized the NOT. The glare had no effect, as Kaien gave a big goofy smile before his clothes immediately changed into his human attire.

"Thanks master, I won't leave the city!" The young Shinigami says with glee before fading away into his spirit form.

"…Then I shall take my leave. Have a good day Master, and you too miss Sola-Ui." Izanagi bids them farewell before transforming into his spirit form and disappearing. Kayneth sighs again and walks to an armchair to sit. Sola-Ui has a confused expression before she dismissed her thoughts.

'I must have been seeing things, there is no way that an arrogant man like him would even show the least bit of concern for me.' She decides mentally as she tells Kayneth that she wishes to head to the shopping district for a while. Without waiting for a reply, she opens the door and leaves, nearly missing the barely audible reply Kayneth gave.

"….Be safe…."

**#Tohsaka manor#**

Tokiomi was sitting in his study, looking out the window as he drank from his wine. Either he's drinking the non-alcoholic wine or he has very high alcohol tolerance because no matter how many he drinks, he doesn't get drunk (At least as far as I've seen.). He sent Atlas to do another errand in the city, since she is very enthusiastic to go there. Archer is always scouting the grounds to make sure there are no spying enemy familiars.

'Still, I cannot believe that I ended up with such… interesting servants.'

Last night, he dreamt of his servant's past. Both of them.

It started when he saw Atlas facing a man. The man was middle aged, had light blue hair which was very long, noble and futuristic robes and a very unsettling smile. He held a device, a tablet of sorts. It was primarily colored orange, with a red crystal in the middle. The man called it a 'Biometal' and said that if she took it, she would be one of the chosen ones in his game. She took it, wary at first, but soon became intoxicated with the power. The scene switches to her battling these… Robots. That was the only way to describe them. They were machines, each one carrying futuristic cannons in their arms. They were all colored purple, as if it was a military code. Atlas was destroying waves upon waves of the machines. The scene switches again to her standing with a young boy with ocean blue hair and a tattoo of an upside down magenta triangle on his forehead. He looked younger than Atlas, maybe a year or two younger. They were both on an iceberg the size of a small house, garbage and wrecked vehicles littered all over the ocean. He was holding a device similar to Atlas's but with a different shape and blue coloration to it.

'He must be a chosen one as well.' Tokiomi deducted mentally as he saw the interaction. The boy was talking to Atlas with a very big smile on his face, like he was talking with his idol. Atlas kept her usual scowl on, but something was different. There was a hint of… affection in her eyes.

_"Hey Atlas, what are you going to do when you win the game of destiny?" _

_"I have no idea. Why would you want to know anyway?"_

_"Just curious. Wanna hear about what I'll do?" _He asked with big red eyes. Atlas sighed and said 'Go on.'

The boy beamed at her before jumping up onto a slightly large chunk of metal and motioned for Atlas to look at the sea.

_"Look at this ocean. Humans have defiled its beauty by polluting it and using it as a dumpster! It's horrible! That's why when I win, I'm going to destroy the surface world so everything will be underwater! I'll be king of the ocean!"_

Atlas scoffs a bit with amusement. Her cheeks had a tiny red blush on them, chuckling a bit at his boy turns his head to Atlas with a soft smile. _"Hey Atlas, when I become king, wanna be my queen? We can rule the world and live in an underwater castle!"_

Atlas turns around sharply and sits on the other side of the iceberg, facing away from him. Her cheeks were tinted bright red.

_"I-idiot! You know we're probably gonna have to beat eachother, right? If you win, I won't have a reason to be alive anymore! This game is the only reason why I still fight. Heck, I might end up getting kille-"She_ gets cut off when a pair of arms wrap around her body and pulls her close from behind. Her cheeks turn into a much brighter shade of red as she tries to struggle from the sudden hug.

_"T-Thetis! W-w-what the hell are you doing!?" _The chosen one of fire stutters. Normally she can keep her scowl on with other people and just punch them but Thetis was a special case. She never understood why.

_"Atlas… If you can't find a reason to live when you lose, can I be the temporary solution? I promise I will do my best to keep you happy." _The boy says with a calm voice. Atlas's struggling decreases as her heart beats faster. This was not like her at all. The ghostly Tokiomi watched with an amused expression. He hadn't realized that his grumpy servant had such a soft side.

_"…Promise?"_Atlas asks quietly with a face colored like an apple. Thetis smiles and nuzzles her neck from behind. _"Promise. You won't be alone anymore."_

_"….Okay, fine."_ She answered with a barely audible whisper. The blue haired boy immediately took her head in his hands softly and pressed his lips against hers.

Tokiomi watched with a raised eyebrow. 'I never knew that human faces had the capability to turn into that shade of red.'

The lip lock lasted for several minutes (Ten, as Tokiomi noted when he looked at his watch when they were done) and Thetis released Atlas from his show of affection. Her cheeks were bright red, her breath panting and her mind was spinning. Who knew that the kid had such a talent in kissing?

_"I-idiot, what was that for!" _She yelled with an embarrassed glare. Thanks to him, her heart was pounding hard enough to be heard in her ears. Thetis merely smiled the biggest smile he could give before laughing a bit. _"S-sorry, I was just so happy! Happiest moment of my life!"_

_"But you didn't have to kiss me!"_ She yelled, her cheeks slowly losing the red color.

_"Well at least you took my first kiss! Why? Was that your first too?"_

Nope, false alarm. Her cheeks went right back to OOC Atlas. Thetis gave a mischievous grin.

_"It was, wasn't it? Then can I give you another one to celebrate?" _He asked suggestively. Her cheeks turned redder. Really, she had no idea that Thetis could be this… intimate. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Thetis grabbed her hands and started to dance around with her, spinning a lot.

_"Now what are you doing!?" _Atlas shouted.

_"I can't help it, I'm so freaking happy! Atlas is gonna marry me! Atlas is gonna marry me! Atlas is gonna marry me!" _The boy chanted as he danced around, Atlas being dragged along the dance with him.

_"S-stupid Thetis, what if Aeolus or Siarnaq find out cuz of your yelling!?"_

Nevertheless, he kept on dancing around. Atlas lets a small smile grow on her face at his antics. After a while, she dances along with him, a full smile on her face that she hasn't done for years.

'So Atlas had a loved one… interesting.' Tokiomi muses in his mind before the scene flickers and changes. Now he was on a beach. Unlike the ocean around the iceberg from before, this one was clean, sunlight rolling off the waves. He looked around before spotting three people.

A young girl with bright pink hair and a younger boy with chocolate brown hair were standing over a young blonde boy who was unconscious. The blonde was wearing nothing but worn out trousers. It appears he was washed up from the sea.

Two names immediately popped into Tokiomi's head. The girl was Ouma Mana and the boy was Ouma Shu. Then the blonde boy was…

The pink haired girl kneels down and commits CPR on the blonde, Shu blushing as she did so. The blonde started waking up, coughing as he did. The brown haired child asked him what his name was, earning a small mutter as a response. The blonde might not have remembered.

_"Hey, I asked your name. Yo-ur-na-me!_ He tried to emphasize in case the boy didn't understand.

_"Triton."_

Surprisingly, it was Mana who answered. Both boys turned to look at her confused. The girl smiles sweetly at the blonde.

_"Your name will be Triton since you came from the sea. It's a beautiful name, right?"_

The boy stares at her with awe. She was... beautiful.

'So that is Archer…' Tokiomi mentally noted as he looked at the boy. The scene suddenly changes to Triton and Shu cowering away from Mana, a burning Christmas tree behind her. She lets out a cry and suddenly a blinding light erupts from her. Though the two boys did not see it, Tokiomi had a spell that prevented him from being fazed by flashes. He saw what become of the girl.

Her body turned to crystal and then it shattered. Just like that. When the light was gone, the building was in ruins (apparently it was a church) and the rest of the city was absolutely devastated. There's no telling how many people were hurt or killed. No more than a minute later, Triton said he will get stronger to Shu, who was watching the same place Mana once was with horror. After saying goodbye once without waiting for a response, the younger Archer left.

Scene switch to an adult Triton, wearing a black and red uniform with several other people wearing uniforms of the same coloration. They stood amongst the ruins of an old building, burning chunks of metal from what seemed to be robots and several unarmed civilians were nearby. He was facing Shu, although he looked more… scared and confused.

_"Come with us, Shu. With us, you will make a difference." Triton said with a smile. _

The scene changes again to Triton, Shu and a girl who looked similar to Mana, only she had an expressionless face and wore red robes which were quite revealing. They were running the hallway of a building, dodging bullets from security officials and the like. Triton and the girl had guns with them, retaliating whenever they could.

Scene change, Triton having his void taken out by Shu… wait, what?

'The boy has the same power as Archer?' Tokiomi thought in confusion. Archer (now armed with his void which was shaped like a large gun) and Shu then proceeded to run up the stairs of a large stadium, large eye shaped creature made of crystal's attacking them. The girl who looked like Mana was at the middle part of the stairs, her body restrained by a crystal harness, a wedding dress of sorts on her. Archer Triton fired a shot from his void, the blast hitting the Mana lookalike and causing a long, crystalline sword to protrude from her chest.

_"A void that can bring out other people's voids!?" _An old man shouted in shock. Shu jumps up to the girl and takes her void, swinging the blade around to destroy the crystal eyes. Triton was running up to a stage where apparently Mana was encased in a crystal cage, her body glowing with a pink aura.

'She's alive?' Tokiomi asked in his mind, confused again. This future world was beginning to give him a headache. However, using the natural intellect he got from decades of learning and from the Tohsaka bloodline, he came up with a possible answer.

'That old man from before. He wished to revive Mana to recreate the disaster from that night in the church. That girl who looks like her must be connected to her biologically, therefore being a possible catalyst to awaken Mana.' The Tohsaka head deduced.

Triton shot more of the eyes down as he ran up the stage, finally reaching Mana.

*SLASH!*

And then he was stabbed by two crystal spikes. His body had several crystals melted over his limbs to restrain him, two large crystal spikes impaling his chest. As his eyesight failed, Triton issued one last command before Tokiomi was pulled out of the dream.

_"Shu, run your blade through me to stab Mana."_

Tokiomi awoke slowly after that dream. He saw Triton get stabbed. He saw the entire area explode in a bright light. He saw Triton and Mana disintegrate into crystals. That was how Triton died.

So why did Tokiomi feel that there was more to it?

'I did not see Archer using his powers or even the clothes he wears now. His red eye with crystals is also missing. Something happened after his death. I'm sure of it. Still, at least I have a better understanding on where they came from.'

Both Archer's were similar because they came from the future. Or at least versions of it. He would have to question Archer and Atlas later but for now, he should just wait. SO he sat there, drinking wine and sitting in his study.

Boring.

'Hmm, it is tedious to simply sit here every day and drink wine. Maybe I should read some of my old tomes.'

He stands up after finishing the glass and walks out of his study. The tomes he wishes to read are not in this room, but in the basement. As he walks, he notes the lonely feeling of this place.

'It feels very different without Rin and… Sakura, running around and playing together.' He stops walking before shaking the thoughts out of his head. He didn't need to think about that. A magus from such a noble family as his should not have to feel this. He will win.

'I made the right choice. Rin is safe, Sakura is with Kariya, and neither will have to fight each other when they come of age to receive the family crest.' He tried to reason with his bad feeling. It only helped a little.

He walks down the stairs before a sudden chill runs down his spine. He whirls around and sees… Nothing. Dismissing it as a small draft in the manor (However unlikely as that seems) he opens the door to the basement and enters it.

Only to find a suit clad skeleton reading one of his books.

Tokiomi's eyes widen before he prepares to use his jewel magic on the undead being, discovering that he couldn't move an inch, probably because of a binding spell. The skeleton had his left hand lifted and to Tokiomi's shock, it spoke.

"Rest easy magus, I am not here to harm you. I am a servant of the Caster class."

"Caster?" The Tohsaka head asked in surprise. "What would an enemy servant wish from me?" He tried to move but something kept stopping him. Like a barrier of wind, covering his entire body.

"Now now, enemy is such a harsh word. I mean, I could be an enemy if I meant to harm you but do I look that menacing?" The skeleton asked. A second or two passed before the servant shook his head. "Ah, who am I kidding? How can a talking skeleton not look menacing?"

"…How did you get in here without Archer noticing?" Tokiomi asked warily. There was no way this servant could sneak past Archer, even an Assassin would have a hard time. Caster puts the book back on the shelf before taking out another one.

"Ah, yes, the interesting man with long hair. I had quite a good conversation with him. Managed to convince him to let me in to speak with you. After swearing I wouldn't hurt you of course!" The undead servant laughed a bit. Tokiomi was not convinced. Caster sighs before continuing. "…Okay, that and he took out my so called 'Void'. He said if he crushes it, my own soul will get crushed. So backstabbing him will ultimately lead to my demise."

Tokiomi lets out a relieved breath. Now he can relax a bit, but he still mustn't let his guard down. "So why have you come here? Does your master wish to make an alliance?" The Tohsaka head asks. Surprisingly, Caster laughs before shaking his head.

"No no, my master has no idea that I'm here. I came of my own volition. My independence is quite high, you know?" Caster answers. Tokiomi's eyes widen in surprise. 'What on earth would a servant acting without his master want with me?'

As if reading Tokiomi's thoughts, Caster answers. "There is a certain spell book or grimoire that I am currently searching for. Since your family is obviously of noble descent, and the fact that you have a high class barrier outside your estate, I assumed that you would have some idea on where I could find this particular type of book."

The Tohsaka magus raises an eyebrow. "A spell book? What kind of spell book?"

"Something along the lines of hypnotism… Oh don't give me that look, I said I wasn't going to hurt you now didn't I?"

Tokiomi relaxes. He had originally thought that Caster was planning on hypnotizing him. Not that it would be easy, or even work for that matter. Tokiomi had many ways to avoid whatever spell that Caster could use.

Except for the one that was currently keeping him stationary.

Tokiomi ponders for a bit before remembering something. "Actually, I think I may have a few on hypnotism and mind altering spells around here… Kindly unbind me and I will show them to you. They're in my private bookcase. And I have an itch at the back of my neck that I really need to scratch."

Caster complies and releases Tokiomi, who promptly walks to a set of bookshelves while using his left hand to scratch his neck. He opens up one of the bookcases and mutters a few incantations before pulling a certain book. The result was the bookcase opening up to reveal another bookcase inside it. Caster whistles impressed (Wait, how can he whistle when he doesn't have lips?) and walks to the bookcase. Tokiomi runs his finger along the many books before his eyes fall upon two. He pulls them out and hands them to Caster, who reads out the titles.

"Hypnotism, the art of the Mesmer. Hmm, that looks right. And the other one is….. Magnificent Merlin's fantastic mind boggling personality altering spells?" Caster looks at Tokiomi. If he had a face, it would be one of confusion. Tokiomi shrugs.

"Don't ask, the author may be a little odd but it does come with rather…. interesting spells. It even came with instructions easy enough for my daughter to learn. She tried one on the gardener. He used to be a very irritable old man with no sense of respect."

"Now what's he like?"

Tokiomi shudders. "I'd rather not speak about it. If you want to know, search for a newspaper clipping from two years ago, August the third. Now then, I believe that is all?"

"Hmm, yes this should do nicely. Thank you for your cooperation. May your battles be fruitful and not end with the loss of your life." Caster says with an exaggerated bow before walking away.

Tokiomi waits until Caster leaves the room and walks upstairs before falling into a chair. There was a lot of tension on him when talking with Caster. It was like the servant had an aura of intimidation, forcing Tokiomi to tell the truth whether he wanted to or not.

"What kind of servant is he…? The amount of prana I sensed from him was enormous…"

**#outside, on the roof#**

The Archer codenamed Triton was watching the void with a stern face. When the skeleton known as Caster had approached him, he was prepared for battle. It was shocking that Caster wished to talk with Archer's master, let alone allowing Archer to hold his void in case of a betrayal.

Still, when he imagined Caster's void, he thought of a grimoire or a staff or some other magical item.

He was not expecting a suit of armor. A pitch black suit of armor, the stench of death practically flooding from it.

"Yoohoo! Archer! I'm done! You can give back my soul now!"

Archer looks down to the garden to see Caster holding two books under his left arm. The pale blonde servant releases the void and it turns back into a slithering metallic substance and flows back into Caster's chest- err, ribcage.

"Thanks for your cooperation! See you some other time!" Caster gave a small bow and then walked away, going down the pathway that leads to the road. Archer's eyes widen when he uses his far sight to witness Caster summoning something on the road.

'Is he going to attack?' Triton thought urgently as he prepared to take out one of the voids he has collected. A purple and glowing object materializes in front of Caster, revealing it to be…

A car.

An honest to God Bentley too. And it was in very good condition.

'Wha?' Archer thought as Caster got in and drove off. The servant of the bow releases the tension in his shoulders as he sighs.

'So one of the Casters can summon a car. And he's a skeleton. Not the weirdest servant I've seen.'

Not unless you count the Berserkers. He shudders at the memory of the one-sided beat down the two servants of madness gave him.

He was going to be extra watchful on his guard duty for now.

**#downtown Fuyuki#**

"You know, I wasn't expecting a face like this when you removed your mask. You look younger than me without the servant get-up!" The Lancer named Kaien Shiba exclaimed as he walks through the streets, a grey haired young man walking alongside him. It was the Lancer Izanagi.

"Thank you, I rather like this face too. Served me well in life." Izanagi said with a small chuckle. Kaien's right eyebrow went up. "Damn, you even sound younger. How old were you when you died?"

Izanagi was about to answer until a very strong and delicious scent caught his attention. He knew that smell anywhere.

Beef steak.

*GURGLE*

"Whoa, somebody's hungry! C'mon, let's grab a bite. Got any places in mind?"

"Follow me."

Izanagi walks quickly with Kaien trailing behind him as they shift through the crowd and make it to a small restaurant. It had several tables and chairs, a door leading to the kitchen at the back of the room. It was completely packed, save for two empty spots. With the speed of starving wolves, the two Lancers took those chairs and opened up the menus. Everything on the menu was either steak or ramen. A young girl came over to their table, a name tag with the writing 'Kaori' on it. She was obviously the waitress. She blushed a bit when she saw the two young men. Truth be told, they were attractive in different ways.

Kaien had a face filled with childish charm and a fresh and active aura. Izanagi had a calm and composed face with goodness in his grey eyes and an aura of mistery. She stammered as she asked what they would like to order.

'I'll have the spicy ramen!"

"I would like the black pepper beef steak."

She nodded as she wrote down their orders. "A-and drinks?"  
Both said they didn't need any. The young waitress went to the chefs as Kaien began chatting with Izanagi about their preferred human activities.

"I was always quite fond of fishing at times. I once caught on as big as a car, with my own two hands and a fishing rod I bought from a TV show." Izanagi said. Kaien's eyebrows rose up in disbelief.

"A hollow I'd believe, but a freaking fish? Now that I gotta see!" Kaien began talking about the different types of activities he did with his siblings when he was alive. Izanagi pulled out an old newspaper from the stack at the bottom of the table and began reading it while he listened and responded to Kaien about a few things now and then.

"Excuse me sir." A new voice said. It had a light Irish accent to it. Guess who?

Izanagi and Kaien looked up to see a very heavily dressed man. Overcoat, wide brimmed hat, scarf over mouth, grey and frizzy hair, huge sunglasses, etc. Both became suspicious as they sensed something out of the ordinary from this guy.

"I was wondering if I could borrow a newspaper from that stack. I'm looking for one dating back to two years ago on August third." The man says kindly. Kaien seemed to relax at the man's kind voice but Izanagi new better than to trust him that easily. A nice guy could turn into a psycho anytime. He knew from experience.

"Hey, the one you're reading is August third! Is it from two years ago?" Kaien exclaims when he looks closer at Izanagi's newspaper. The Japanese deity looks at the date and discovers that it was indeed the third of August, two years ago. He gingerly gave the newspaper to the cloaked man, who received it happily before flipping throught the pages, until he found what he was looking for.

He was silent for at least two minutes before giving back the newspaper with a small chuckle and shake of his head.

"Thank you for your time. Have a nice lunch." He said as he walked out of the restaurant and walked away. Izanagi and Kaien took a look at the specific article the man was on.

**Going Commando**

**Elderly man found running along Fuyuki riverside, wearing absolutely nothing at all. The man was estimated to be around 70 years old and was seen by police officers. The man constantly shouted 'The Holy Grail Is Mine!' before being caught by the police. He was sent to jail afterwards, waking up the next day to have no memory of what happened. No traces of drugs or alcohol were found in his body, leading officers to suspect him to be merely senile.**

…..

"The hell?" Kaien said as Izanagi closed the newspaper, folded it up and stuck it at the bottom of the stack, shaking his head to get rid of the disturbing image. The article had come with a full color picture of the man running, the editor forgetting to pixelate the privates.

Eww.

**#Fuyuki River, near sewage pipe #**

'Hmm, this book actually some pretty useful spells. Shouldn't be too hard to learn since I have already learnt the system and methods behind magic in this country. What a strange world I have landed in~' the skeleton Caster mused as he walked away from his Bentley, which was parked on the side of the road, and walked along the riverbank. The river was filthy, oil, garbage, and the results of a human using the toilet were flowing down the river. The clean water was much further up, where no sewage pipes were stationed. However, the clean area was not his destination. He was heading towards a certain large sewage pipe, reeking of rotten flesh. His master and partner of the same servant class were deep inside the pipe.

And they went there without him knowing.

Nope. Not even a note.

'Still, they could have at least picked a better hiding spot. It must be a hellish smell for my master.

…. Oh wait, if he likes corpses and blood, he should be used to the smell of rotten flesh.'

Caster number 1 walks down the sewage pipe, careful not to step on anything that would dirty his shoes any further. He will not use his magic to levitate over the sewage, for various reasons.

One would be because it would be a waste of prana to fly over sewer muck just because he didn't want to get his shoes wet. The other reason was because he was hiding his presence.

Because his master and partner left without warning and have even attempted to mask their aura. They (or technically it was the other Caster since his master could not use magic, due to being a regular human.) deliberately hid themselves away so that Caster could not find them. Meaning they were doing something nefarious.

Something involving the kidnapping and mutilation of children.

'If they thought they could hide from the world's greatest and most charming detective, they thought wrong. When I get my hands on them, I'll...' He trailed off in his mind as he enters a gigantic chamber, pillars everywhere. These pillars were some sort of chamber as well, since they had cages built into them.

Cages which contained children. Some were alive, some were dead and others were halfway there.

Like the one that his master was currently dissecting alive with glee.

"Lalala, cut open the esophagus, slowly till your done~

Rip out his tendons so he can never run~

Look at all the corpses, piling into a giant mass~

Now turn his body over, so I can cut open his little as-oh hey skeleton guy!" Uryu Ryuunosuke stopped mid-song to greet the skeleton Caster. He was apparently unaware or uncaring of the expression the detective was giving him. Not that he could tell anyway, the servant had no face. But if he did, it would be a look of absolute rage.

"Master… What did I tell you..? I said NO MORE KILLING!" The servant shouted at the top of his… er… non-existent lungs.

"Hey, I tried man. But I couldn't resist the temptation of blood! And she said I could!" The orange haired teen argued. The angry undead was not convinced. He didn't doubt that the female Caster would let Uryu kill like this but still. She must be insane as well.

"You tried? You tried!? Was there not a single bit of hesitation in you when you decided to take all of these children from their families!?"

"Nope." Uryu said as he walked towards the child's head, scalpel in hand.

"Was there not a single bit of guilt when you killed them!?"

Uryu makes a mock pose of someone thinking before answering "Nope!"

"….Tell me now, Uryu Ryuunosuke, DID YOU FEEL ANYTHING!?"

To Caster's shock and disgust, Uryu answered by spinning the scalpel in his hand and stabbing the blade end down into the center of the poor child's head, twisting it a bit before pulling it back out.

"Nope!" He laughed out with an insane smile.

Caster had a million thoughts running through his head. The biggest thought was on why Uryu would do this. He had sensed some change of heart when he told Uryu to find another hobby, so where did it all go? Even before then, Uryu was not this psychotic. It was almost as if Uryu went completely insane.

"Madness is amazing isn't it? Just influence a person's soul with a tiny bit and it will slowly consume them. Since he had an impressive amount of madness in the first place, it was even easier to turn him into this." A venomous voice declared. Caster turned his head towards the exit of the room, to find that the female Caster was standing there, her hood pulled over her head. Dozens of the electricity-like snakes were slithering in the air around her, her pupils now resembling that of a snake as she gave a terrifying smile.

"With more training and experiments using these kids, I can turn him into the ultimate Kishin! Isn't that just wonderful?" She crooned as she took a step closer. The skeleton Caster responded by aiming both his hands forward, his palms stretching wide.

"Don't bother, I won't fall for the same trick again. It was quite impressive though, your ability to manipulate air pressure. But I have made small adjustments to my magic so I can cut through thick air and water pressure and set me free from one of those prisons. I'm afraid you've lost your trump card." She said with a victorious smile.

"Whoever said that I could only use air?"

Before the snake Caster could react, the skeleton had slammed his palms together before slowly separating them, a large fireball being generated between them. He separated his hands, the huge fireball splitting into smaller ones, one in each palm. He threw both simultaneously at the female Caster, before waving his arms at the cages once, the metal doors blasting forward and off their hinges.

"Run! And don't turn back! GO!" He yells as he jumps up in the air, narrowly avoiding a huge black and green glowing snake which bit into where he once was. It was bigger than the rest, its body having sharp edges instead of the usual round, bending and zipping through the air in an attempt to eat him. The detective floated in the air with his wind magic and created a wall of air pressure around Uryu, in an attempt to stop him from catching the children again.

"VECTOR ARROW!"

The skeleton snaps his head back to the other Caster and sees a rain of streaming arrow shapes, zooming towards him at high speed. Caster knows that he can't block them since they cut through his air wall, so he prepares to dodge.

"By the power of two of my command seals, I, Uryu Ryuunosuke, order my skeleton Caster to stop moving!" A laughing voice shouts out.

"Urgh!" The detective is binded in place by the unbreakable order, even though he has high independent action. However, two command seals at once could change that easily.

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of breaking bones and the ground being impaled by the magic arrows. The onslaught lasted for at least a minute before the arrows stopped and retracted. The female Caster and Uryu walk over to the crater to view their former ally's corpse. The bones were cracked, clothes shredded and a thigh bone was disconnected. His skull was also cracked but the hat had somehow managed to survive the attack, only getting a few scratches here and there.

"Hahahaha! She already told me what these tattoos are for! Didn't see that coming didja? Hahaha!" Uryu laughs with glee. When he receives no answer, he lets out an irritated grunt and kicks the skull for a response. Insttead, all he got was a hurting foot.

"Owowowo! His skull is hard as rock!" He whined as he rubbed his hurt toes.

"Hmm, so he was thicker in the head than I thought. Oh well, I can't sense anymore prana from him. Let's go, Uryu~" She says as she walks away from the skeleton. Uryu smiles his insane grin with a small blush on his cheeks when she said his name. "Okay, Medusa!" He replies as he follows her to get the kids back. Somehow, they managed to escape amidst the chaos. Not all though, some were hit by the Vector Arrows and were either crippled, dead or became mere splodges on the ground.

*CRACK*

They both snap their heads around to see the skeleton's body gone. All that were left were shattered pieces of what seemed to be stone in the form of the detective's body. Like a shield or second skin.

Which was now empty.

"Wait, he actually turned to stone?" Uryu asked with awe. He thought that since the name Medusa was relevant to the Gorgon who had the ability to petrify (yes, he knows some basic myths) he thought that her arrows had turned him to tone as well. However, Medusa's shocked expression said otherwise.

"How did he do that…? I couldn't even feel his presence." The Gorgon witch says as she prepares another batch of arrows in case of a surprise attack.

"The ultimate defense, earth magic. A last resort really and usually irreversible. But since I'm a servant now, nearly all the limits I had on my magic are now gone. I can use the shield to defend myself anytime and even mask my prana. Now the tables have turned." The skeleton's voice sounded out as if coming from everywhere at once. Or so he thought.

"Vector Arrow." Medusa says as she aims her hand at a pillar and fires off the arrows, impaling it and impaling something on the other side. The detective himself. She retracts the arrows, pulling the Caster thorugh the pillar with them and dropping him in front of her. His body was in very bad condition. Nearly all of his bones excluding his skull were broken.

"Ow… I thought snakes were supposed to be deaf?" He asks jokingly as the two psychopaths stare down at him.

"Well let's just say your ventriloquism act was very bad. Now then, I don't want those kids to get too far, so I will kill you right now. Any last words?" She asks menacingly as she aims more arrows at him.

"Did you know the swallow flies south for winter?"

"…..What?"

An awkward silence filled the room after that. Medusa had a confused expression on her face as she unconsciously lets her arrows falter after hearing such a ridiculous excuse for last dying words. That one moment of hesitation was all Caster needed as he used his magic to push himself away from her and let loose a stream of fire from his limp palms. She blocks the fire with a shield of Vector Arrows, cursing as she realizes how stupid she was to fall for such a trick.

"It's a shame though, I was hoping to save this for later, but since you won't let me out of here anyway, I'll use my real trump card. It's the least I can do to punish you both." Caster announced as he limply floated in the air.

"Your trump card? You mean your Noble Phantasm? But you're completely battered! How can you use it if you're injured?" Medusa laughs as she prepares more Vector Arrows.

"Trust me, be glad that I will let you both live after this. Oh, and I won't be the one doing the punishing. He will." Caster says as darkness seems to stretch out of the walls and slowly creep towards him.

"W-who?" Uryu asks, fear evident in his voice as all the shadows start to dance and flicker.

"Him."

Those were Caster's last words before the shadows impaled him and then flooded his bones, surging all over his body and enveloping him in a blanket of darkness. The shadows change their shape slowly and become a humanoid shape. Then the shape begins to turn sharper and sturdier, until it becomes a pitch black suit of armor resembling a knight's. A huge flurry of mana and darkness starts to surge into the armored Caster's hands as he speaks in a deep and echoing voice.

"**Lord Vile."**

**WHOOOHOOOHOOO! That's one Noble Phantasm revealed, 12 more to go! 12, not 13 since we all know that Arturia's is Excalibur. Meheheh.**

**Anyhow, sorry for the insanely late chapter, I will be sure to add more effort in the next one! I hope all of you wonderful followers of this story will leav me reviews, cuz that's what keeps me going!**

**Also, I am planning to release a couple of one-shots for fun. You will see what those one-shots are. They ain't Fate/Zero, I can tell ya that much.**

**Well then, this is Hazama-chan, who has decide to change his username into something more original soon, blasting off! Aaaaaaaannnd, transition out! **


End file.
